A Second, and Final, Retirement

Assistant Professor for the School of Nursing & Health Sciences Joan Huber knew she wanted to be a nurse at a young age. She said, “As a child I read all the Cherry Ames books and decided that was the career for me.”

Huber began her nursing career in the United States Navy, where she served as a critical care clinical nurse specialist, nurse administrator and chief operating officer, retiring with the rank of captain after 30 years. One of her jobs during her time in the Navy included being senior White House nurse during the Reagan and Bush administrations. Huber enjoyed the many opportunities the Navy offered her throughout the years, including meeting wonderful people and living on most continents.

After Huber retired from the Navy in 2001, her college roommate contacted her to tell her of an opening at Colby-Sawyer College. The position was to teach pharmacology. Having both a degree and personal interest in this area, Huber checked it out. She was interviewed and joined the CSC faculty in September of 2001.

Huber enjoys teaching all of her classes, which include two levels of pathophysiology, pharmacology, NCLEX prep and health vocabulary. She is most proud of her students who continue on to get their master’s degrees and doctoral degrees and often take on leadership roles in the nursing practice.

As Huber enters retirement, she is not sure what her future plans are. She said, “I’ve been too busy to think about it. I guess more time to read, travel, garden and sew.”

One thing Huber does know is that she will miss the people at Colby-Sawyer when she walks off campus in May. She said, “The nursing faculty at CSC is second to none — a real team that works together to make it all happen in the face of an amazingly complex system of regulations and requirements.”