Daryl Sas, PhD has taught in Geneva College’s biology department for 34 years, since 1988, and has been the department chair for the last 15 years.
Before coming to Geneva, Sas was conducting research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, seeking out a teaching position. He wrote a handful of colleges letters of interest, and Geneva responded.
“I flew out of Minnesota in the middle of winter, got stranded in O’Hare, my luggage was lost, but ended up making it to interview at Geneva, although I was without a change of clothes. They hired me and I have enjoyed teaching here ever since.”
When asked why he decided to go into teaching biology, Sas answered,
“I like knowing how things work. How the cells and bodies work. Just this morning I was lecturing about kidneys and how they work, I have always had this curiosity. I love learning and sharing what I learn; that is teaching.”
During his time here, Sas has won three excellence awards, including Excellence in Teaching twice, and Excellence in Scholarship. Some of Sas’ favorite moments and accomplishments have also included his time with lab assistants and the many trips he has taken with students.
“Getting to work with students as lab assistants, as peers, has allowed me to get to know my students at a different level. I have had so many wonderful lab assistants over the years.”
Sas has also taken many students on trips to bio-ethics conferences and the global missions health conference. These have allowed students in his classes to dig deeper into the information they are learning, hear from and connect with others in the field, and have a hands-on experience in their classes.
A lot has changed in 34 years, and Sas has witnessed many changes to culture, the classroom, and the campus.
“When we renovated S&E everything changed. Every surface you touch, plus some, is different.”
S&E was added on to and completely remodeled during his time here. Another large change that altered campus was the re-routing of Route 18. Finally, Sas noted, technology has created a significant difference in the classroom.
“I didn’t use to worry about students being on their phones during lectures, but now it is constant. I also could give assignments when I first began teaching and I knew they had to think, now they have Google, so assignments had to change and be thought through differently.”
With each incoming class, development to campus, and change in culture, professors like Dr. Sas adjust their curriculum to best prepare students for the world around them.
“The greatest impact I have seen in my time here is on individual students. Just in my records, I have that out of my biology majors, there have been 65 physicians, 37 high school teachers, 31 physician assistants, 21 physical therapists, 11 veterinarians, and 5 pastors.”
Seeing what our students go on to do is one of the greatest rewards. While this is just a small sampling of our alumni, it represents the domino effect of education. The principles taught by Dr. Sas, and other faculty at Geneva, leave a mark on students, and they carry that with them as they go on to their various fields and callings.
To honor Dr. Sas’ distinguished career and years of service to the College, he has been given the status of emeritus faculty.
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