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North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804
March 19, 2021
WESLEYAN PROFILES
Spragley Named Head of Teacher Education, Diversity & Inclusion Liaison
Kelvin Spragley, 52. has joined the
Wesleyan faculty as the new Director
of Teacher Education and will assume
a position as the college’s new Diver
sity & Inclusion Liaison.
He comes to Wesleyan from Louis
burg College where he taught history
and education and served in a number
of administrative roles, including in
terim academic dean and director of the
two-year college’s education program.
An army veteran. Dr. Spragley
taught social sciences in Wake County
schools for seven years and, among
other positions, he was Executive
Director at the North Carolina Founda
tion for Public School Children, a non-
profit that supports needy children.
The Whitakers native earned an
A.A. in history from Chowan; a B.S.
in education from East Carolina; and
an M.E. and Ph.D. in curriculum and
instruction from NC State.
He lives in Rolesville with his wife
of 26 years, Tracey Spragley, and their
18-year-old son, Kelvin Jr., who, after
completing a two-degree at Wake Tech
nical Community College, plans to trans
fer to East Carolina University to study
engineering. Their daughter, Kelsey, 25,
earned a B.S. and M.S. in microbiology
at ECU and now is employed as a scien
tist at ThermoFisher Phamraceutical.
The Decree interviewed Dr. Spragley
about his new roles, his teaching and
his interests outside of work.
Q. Describe a favorite childhood memory.
A. My favorite childhood memories
surround large family gatherings during
Christmas. When I grew up in rural
Edgecombe County, our Christmases
were the best. Extended family members
would stay around for days on end. There
was church, Motown Christmas music
and, of course, lots of food—in particular
baked turkey and a wide variety of cakes
and pies. I miss those times, as so many
of the people who shaped my view of the
world have since passed away.
Q. Tell us about your experiences in
the service.
A. During my senior year in high
school, I signed up for the delayed-entry
program so that I could enter the U.S.
Army as soon as possible. Three weeks
after I graduated from high school in
1986,1 was in basic training at Fort
Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was easily the
most challenging experience of my life to
that point, as I was pushed mentally and
physically in a manner that I had never
experienced. While challenging, I enjoyed
the experience so much that I graduated
with honors out of the more than 300
troops in my battalion. From there I was
stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia and finally
Fort Hood, Texas, though I did train at
many other military bases in the U.S. and
since 1960
“of, by, and/or the Wesleyan community ”
Editor-at-Large
Chasadie Searcy,
Senior Staff Writers
Mary Cat Davis,
Savannah Ekland,
Will Plyler,
Abigail Shah
Staff Writers
Kate Avila,
Byron Golphin,
Joel Inzerillo,
Isaiah Johnson,
Caitlin Leggett,
Amanda Lucci
Faculty Advisor
Dr. William Grattan
179 Braswell • Phone: 985-5336
Email: WJGrattan@ncwc.edu
abroad. I stayed in the U.S. Army for three
years while attaining the rank of sergeant.
After leaving active duty, I continued
my time in the military by staying in the
reserves for another four years. As a result
of my time in the military, I qualified for
the Montgomery G.I. Bill where I re
ceived funds to pay for my first four years
of college.
Q. What’s the most
valuable lesson you
learned in the military?
A. It’s that self-disci-
pline can help one over
come almost anything.
Discipline became a form
of muscle memory as it
allows me to do what I
need to do during times of
stress and fatigue.
Q. What did you learn
about yourself while in
the military?
A. I learned that I hate
being average, and that
if I callous my mind to
move beyond the hatred
Dr. Kelvin Spragley
and fear that exists in the world, I can
achieve great things.
Q. What did you like most about
working at Louisburg College?
A. The Louisburg experience was
wonderful in that it gave me a chance to
work with a large number of first-generation
college students. As a first-generation student
myself. I was able to sympathize with many
of the challenges that the students were ex
periencing and provide meaningful guidance.
Q. What attracted to you to NCWC?
A. I’m an educator by training, but have
spent time as an education lobbyist and
Wesleyan Profile: English Professor Doreen Thierauf
By Joel Inzerillo hot in the summer, there are miles and miles enjoyed her time there. “My exchange year at is the closest thing we have to the American
Decree Staff Writer
Dr. Doreen Thierauf is an English
professor at North Carolina Wesleyan
College whose roots are in the far-off
land of Germany. Her classes, focused on
critically examining works of literature and
sharpening students’ understanding of them,
are often small and personal. Though the first
class I had with her was a general education
literature class. I still remember the emphasis
she placed upon each student's interpretation.
Though the assigned readings were varied
and all held my interest, my favorite was
about the heart- wrenching story of Omayra
Sanchez, entitled “And of Clay Are We Cre
ated." Fast forward to my next semester, and
I was in a much smaller class that functioned
similarly, but was more in depth. There, we
read full books rather than condensed tales and
short stories. That semester, my favorite book
was Emily Bronte’s "Wuthering Heights,”
which instantly struck me with its mysterious
opening and memorable characters.
Such readings have made Dr. Thi-
erauf’s classes some of my favorites at
Wesleyan, and in turn, led me to interview
her. Clearly well read. Dr. Thierauf was
an obvious choice. I emailed her asking
if she was okay with answering some
questions, and she quickly affirmed that
though busy, she was willing and able.
Dr. Thierauf was born in the 80s in
the City of Rostock, Germany, which she
describes as dazzling. “It’s a beautiful
medieval coastal city in Northern Ger
many," she explained. One only needs to
look at a few images of the city to see the
truth in that statement—it sits serene and
stately upon an estuary of the Wamow
River, which stems from the Baltic Sea.
Dr. Thierauf reflected that her childhood
was a good one. “Oh yes! My childhood
was very happy." she said. Though an only
child, she recalls an abounding family life.
"My parents always made me feel like I
was the center of their universe."
She also mentioned that she had a large
extended family that she would often see
on special occasions. “Most family mem
bers lived in close driving distance-and we
continuously visited each other, celebrating
birthdays and holidays together,” she said.
As a child, she spent the weekends with
her family and friends at the beach, which
was not far from her home. She likens the
beaches back home to North Carolina's Out
er Banks, noting that people from around
here who have been to northern Germany
often compare the two. “The beaches are
incredibly beautiful,” she said. “It’s not too
researcher, and later as a college profes
sor and dean. When I saw the posting for
Teacher Education Director at NCWC,
I was very excited because I saw it as an
opportunity to give back to the profession
that has given me so much over the course
of my professional life. To be able to work
with pre-service teachers, while helping
them form their
theoretical framework
regarding education
and learn what it
means to be a teacher,
was an opportunity
that was very appeal
ing.! was humbled to
leant that I had earned
the opportunity to
work at NCWC in
this capacity.
Q. Describe your
duties as Director of
Teacher Education.
A. I'm responsible
for the following:
maintaining accredi
tation; providing
reports to state and federal agencies;
managing the courses taught and ensuring
the instructors who teach in the program
are qualified to do so; helping students
matriculate through the teacher education
program; evaluating teacher education
program offerings; responding to program
inquiries; and recruiting and retaining
teacher education candidates.
Q. Relate your previous teaching
experiences.
A. I was a public-school teacher
for seven years, teaching history and
economics courses. I've been a college
of coastline where the sand is white and fine,
and the water cool. I went to the beach every
weekend to soak up the sun, swim, and,
obvious for a bookworm like me, read.”
A rigorous college student. Dr. Thier
auf attended the University of Rostock
(established in 1419) as an English and
German double major. When asked if
any professors had a great impact on her.
she responded that there had been many.
One was a linguistics professor named Dr.
Bute Bos. “She was a fantastic teacher and
a brilliant scholar,” Dr. Thierauf said. There
was also Dr. Gustav Klaus, who was her
advisor for both her bachelor’s and master's
theses. “He was a huge influence on me as
well, as his courses drew me to British litera
ture, especially Victorian fiction.” she said.
Throughout her time at the University of
Rostock, it was professors like these that
inspired Dr. Thierauf to become a professor
herself. About the aforementioned Dr. Bos,
she said, “I remember sitting in her course
and thinking. T want to be like her.’”
Even now. Dr. Thierauf said that she tries
to emulate Dr. Klaus in her own teaching.
Beyond individual professors. Dr. Thierauf
fell in love with academia by her second
year of college. “I thought, ‘this is my
world,' and I wanted to stay a part of it, if
possible,” she said. “I love learning, I love
teaching, and it’s an incredible and rare
privilege to be able to follow this calling.”
Though she fondly remembers her time
in college, she also noted that her decision
to become a professor was often discour
aged. ‘Tons of people discouraged me from
getting a PhD. in literature,” she said. “Espe
cially since tire financial crisis of 2008, there
are only a handful of professorships in my
concentration evety year. Things look even
bleaker now in the wake of the pandemic.”
She described unfair hiring practices for
those with PhDs seeking to become profes
sors nowadays. ‘‘Universities and colleges too
often hire them as adjuncts on a course-by-
course basis to staff classes,” she said. “These
positions usually come with no benefits or
job security and are not well paid. I feel these
hiring practices are ethically wrong. We must
invest in teaching and create secure jobs for
the many gifted teachers and scholars who
often devote more than a decade of their
life to become experts in their field.”
Of course, the big question is why did Dr.
Thierauf move to the U.S.? She related that the
University of Rostock had a student exchange
program with the University of Georgia,
and in 2006, she was chosen for one of the
two available spots. She made clear that she
professor for 10 years and have taught a
variety of history and education courses.
Q. List your academic specialty areas.
A. In education they include public school
funding, parent accountability, resegregation
of public schools, educator relationships with
their advocacy organizations, and teacher
educator rights. When it comes to history,
my specialty areas are the history of school
ing in the southern U.S. and sharecropping’s
impact on education opportunities for people
of color in the U.S. My dissertation was
titled "Exploring Congruity of Curriculum
and Instruction Policy Positions between the
North Carolina Association of Educators and
its Teacher Members."
Q. What's your teaching philosophy?
A. For education courses, my philosophy
is based on the concept of juxtaposing theo
ry and reality and theory and practice. With
history courses, I use compare-and-contrast
techniques to examine the similarities of
past historical events with more recent/cur-
rent events, hr all my classes, students can
expect to see methodologies such as case
studies, problem-based learning, debate,
and Spider-Web based instruction.
Q. Talk about your second job title.
What does that entail?
A. As the Diversity & Inclusion Liaison
at NCWC, I’ll be responsible for collabo
rating with college leadership to create,
implement and monitor strategic initiatives
designed to build awareness and growth
among students as it relates to diversity
and inclusion. The position also provides
an opportunity to do similar work with the
faculty and staff as the college considers a
full-time director in the future.
Q. Describe specific programs you
plan to implement.
UGA was just amazing. I got to know Ameri
can academia this way,” she said, adding that
she made friends, tried out Southern food, and
attended alt of Bulldogs’ home games.
While at UGA, Dr. Thierauf met
another figure of importance in her fife-
Dr. Tricia Lootens. “She’s an important
mentor for me, both as a scholar and
teacher, to this day,” she said.
Dr. Lootens was one of the professors that
Dr. Thierauf was assigned to
serve as a research assistant
as part of the exchange
program. "Both professors
encouraged me to pursue
graduate studies in the United
States,” Dr. Thierauf said.
She went back home to
complete her Master’s in
English and History in 2007,
and then moved to the
U.S. to enroll in the PhD.
program at Chapel Hill in
2009. “I've stuck around-I
like it here,” she said.
After moving to the States,
she found herself called to
Wesleyan for the same reason
students are— small classes.
Dr. Doreen Thierauf
“You get to know your students so much
better than at a laige school and you can build
actual mentoring relationships with them with
out feeling rushed or overwhelmed,” she said.
Dr. Thierauf’s classes take advantage of
this, and each student can have their voice
heard. She pointed out that at other larger
schools, that is rarely the case. “At NCWC,
our seminars have the perfect size for rigorous
discussion and authentic exchange,” she said.
Moving from Germany to the U.S. was
a big leap, and Dr. Thierauf found that there
was a bit of adapting to do. "In my region
of Germany, many people-even those
who are open-minded-are known to react
to new things with skepticism,” she said.
“We’re also very, very direct, even blunt.”
She attributed this to the unstable his
tory of Germany as a nation. "I realized
soon that I often came across as overly
critical... I definitely worked on becom
ing more diplomatic and patient since
moving to the United States,” she said.
She also noted significant differences be
tween tire two countries in the method of edu
cation, noting that Gemrany’s high schools
have three different tiers. The first tier, called
Hauptschule, trains kids to work at hands-on
jobs and then has them work as an apprentice
at a company. The second is Realschule,
which prepares kids for mid-level jobs. "This
A. Current works centers on the creation
of a diversity plan for NCWC. In light of re
cent events throughout the country, and on
campus, it's clear that the institution needs
assistance in addressing issues related to
diversity, cultural awareness, and respect of
thought among students, faculty, and staff.
Q. Let's talk about Kelvin Spragley
outside of work. What are your hobbies
and other interests?
A. I enjoy gardening, reading, and
exercising. A favorite pastime is participat
ing in martial arts tournaments and classes.
I also enjoy spending time with my wife,
children, and extended family members.
Q. Describe your social media habits.
A. I have Facebook and Twitter ac
counts. I rarely make any posts to either,
but I do check them once each day.
Q. Identify favorites for the each of
the following:
Food: A vegetable salad, with baked
salmon and brown rice.
Movies: I’m a science fiction guy.
My all-time favorites are the Freddy
Kruger series of the late 1980s and
early 1990s.
Book: "Can't Hurt Me: Master Your
Mind & Defy the Odds,” written by
David Goggins, a former Navy Seal.
TV Shows: ’‘The Cosby Show” and
“Married with Children.”
Favorite Musical Genre: R&B/
Motown/Philly Soul (1955-1980).
Sports Team: Army West Point
Black Knights
Favorite place: My back yard. There
I have my garden; my patio; peach, apple
and pear trees; and over one acre of natural
area where I see all types of forest creatures.
high school,’’ Dr. Thierauf explained.
Dr. Thierauf took part in the third tier.
Gymnasium, which, she said, is very rigor
ous. She said that her curriculum included
German, math, physics, biology, chemistry,
astronomy, art, music, physical education,
geography, social sciences, history, and at
least two foreign languages. “In ninth grade
I took 18 different subjects!” she said.
Dr. Thierauf noted that there is a limited
number of private
schools in her
home country. She
thinks that while
German schooling
is exhaustive, it also
offers a huge assort
ment of classes,
letting students
find tlieir passion.
"I wish more
Americans had
access to the wide
variety of courses
I was taught as a
child,” she said. “I
took it for granted
then, but now. look
ing back, I’m very
grateful I received this kind of schooling.”
At Wesleyan, Dr. Thierauf likes most the
classes where she gets to read novels and
short stories. Her favorite classes so far have
been about Afrofuturism, Dystopian litera
ture, British literature, and a writing course,
English 112, where she helps students with
their research projects. “For students in
English 112, the goal is to get their paper
published in ‘Omnium,"' she said, referring
to the undergraduate research journal at
NCWC that she started with Drs. Keely
Mohon-Doyle and Julie Perino in 2019.
Though she enjoys teaching, learning
is a large part of being a professor as well.
In this area, the Victorian era has always
fascinated Dr. Thierauf. “We probably
never left the Victorian age.” she said.
Though the Victorian era ended in 1901,
Dr. Thierauf believes that the revolution of
thought in those times continues to affect us
today. "So many cultural, social, artistic, tech
nological. scientific, political, and environ
mental changes that marked the 19th Century
continue to shape our own lives, and we have
to understand these changes to make sense of
our present-and to plan for the future,” she
explained. ‘ ‘I find it fascinating that something
that people decided to do 200 years ago still
structures our own choices today. This is what
keeps pulling me back to the 19th Century.”