Who is Matthew Kushin? He is a professor, husband, mentor and much more to those who know him, but one thing that students value the most about him is his sense of humor; Adam Oester said that he has cheesy jokes and interactive lessons that keep students engaged. Danny Kremen seconds that and says that Kushin has a great, corny sense of humor and that he has learned a lot from his class.
Kushin’s office is bright and orderly. In the basement of Knutti, a small window lets in light, making the office surprisingly bright and cheery. A bookshelf sits against one wall, and an inspiring quotation from Oscar Wilde hangs beside it. His office seems to represent his style of teaching well; he relates that he tries his best to be a good role model to students, and many would say that organization is a crucial skill for students to have.
Kushin has only been teaching at Shepherd for two years. Before Shepherd, he taught for two years at Utah Valley University. He grew up in Rustun, Va., and was an undergraduate at Virginia Tech. After Virginia Tech, he received his Masters degree at the University of Miami and earned his PhD at Washington State University.
“The schools I went to were all so different,” Kushin commented, “but there were things I love and miss about all of them. They represent different times of my life.”
Despite traveling to so many places for college, he eventually came back to the east coast close to where he grew up. There were a number of reasons he decided to settle down near Shepherdstown, W.Va., but one of the main reasons was because of the small class sizes and opportunity to be part of a smaller university. Being closer to his family in Virginia was also a benefit of coming to Shepherd University.
Kushin relates that his biggest struggle in college began at a high school level. He said that going into college, many of his friends were straight-A students while he got a mixture of A’s and B’s. He says he felt that his path was set because of that; “The system gives the impression that you’re either smart or not.” He eventually came to realize, however, that motivation, interest and passion are the true predictors of success in life and in school. This is a lesson he tries to impress on students.
As a mentor, Kushin tries to show students how passionate he is about what he does, and he tries to push students to realize their full potential. “That’s the hardest part about teaching,” he said, “when students sell themselves short and don’t realize their full potential.”
When he’s not in the classroom, Kushin enjoys lacrosse, hiking, cycling, reading 20th-century fiction and spending time with his wife, Kelin. Kushin is truly a family man, and admits that his biggest accomplishment in life is getting his wife to fall in love with him.
He quickly attributes his personal and professional success to several people. He credits his parents the most: “They put their entire lives into creating support for my two brothers and me.”
He also mentions his psychology professor from Virginia Tech, Dr. Panneton, Dr. Zoch from the University of Miami, and Dr. Lincoln James. “They were kind, caring people with high standards. They really cared about their students and the subject they taught,” Kushin recalls. He tries to emulate those qualities in his own classroom.
In general, Kushin is a family man who truly cares about his students and the subjects he teaches. More than that, as a person, he contributes to the diverse and unique atmosphere of Shepherd University.