English Professor Joan R. Hartman Honored for 50 years of Service

Hartman was hired in 1965 under President Marion Shea and is William Paterson's longest-serving faculty member

Joan Harman (center) with Kathleen Waldron, president, and Warren Sandmann, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs

Joan R. Hartman, professor of English, is celebrating 50 years at William Paterson, making her the longest-serving faculty member at the University. Hartman was among the employees honored at the University's 2015 Annual Service Awards Luncheon.

Hartman was hired in 1965 by John MacRae, then chair of the English Department, and President Marion Shea. “My whole life has been spent at William Paterson," she says. "I came here when I was young and during that time I got engaged, married, had my children, and grandchildren. I also educated thousands of students and influenced their lives and interests."

A commuter from New York City in her early days, Hartman, whose maiden name was Bettauer, married Alan Hartman, a publishing executive, in 1969. She has been a widow since 1998. She’s proud that both of their children, Michelle and Michael, received their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at William Paterson and went on to successful careers.

As a professor, Hartman’s main focus has always been European literature. She teaches courses in 19^th and 20^th century European literature as well as the survey courses of European literature. Her love of the subject is matched by her love of traveling. Hartman has traveled to Asia, Australasia, Africa, Europe, South America and the Caribbean. “My husband also loved to travel and we always brought our children along,” she says.

When she first began at William Paterson, the English Department was much smaller than it is now, she recalls, and the professors were on the second floor of Hunziker Hall. “I’ve seen presidents and deans come and go, buildings go up, rapid growth, and changes in curriculum,” she says. Hartman knew many of the faculty whose names are on the buildings, including Dean Kenneth White, who authored Paterson State College, A History 1855-1866, and Dean Benjamin Matelson.

The biggest change she witnessed was the institution’s shift from being a teacher’s college to one of the largest degree-granting institutions in New Jersey.

Does teaching the same subjects for 50 years ever get repetitive? “Never,” she says. “It’s new every time you come back in the fall because you have new students asking new questions. That’s what keeps me on my toes and keeps things interesting – the reactions you get from different students.”