![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Chris-Richter.jpg\")
\n\n\tC<\/span>hris Richter joined the communication studies department at Hollins in 1995 and over the past 27 years, \u201cRichter\u201d (as he is affectionately called by his students) has taught, advised, challenged, and yes, fed<\/em> hundreds of students.<\/p>\nHe is known for his fierce defense of, and belief in, the discipline of communication studies. To his students, Richter embodies what a professor should be: inspiring, passionate, talented, and thoughtful. As one of his students noted, \u201cMy favorite class with Richter was our senior thesis course where we each got a chance to meet with him one-on-one to work through our challenges. He was so supportive and genuinely invested in each of our topics. I will always be thankful for what Richter has taught me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richter offered a variety of engaging classes during his career that ranged from video studio processes to public communication and discourse. He creatively mixed rigor and entertainment with ease: he loved to paint a picture with a story or quick anecdote, and his multimedia PowerPoint presentations were envied for the way he could insert the perfect song, pop culture visual, and critical insight, whether he was discussing media law, communication technology, or even how to watch television. His PowerPoints were particularly meaningful to students throughout the pandemic, which required classes to be taught remotely. \u201cDuring Covid-19, Professor Richter started and ended his PowerPoints with pictures of his cats, and included the line, \u2018This Class Brought to You by Seven the Cat,\u2019\u201d a student recalled. \u201cIt was a little thing, but it helped me find something to look forward to in a really stressful time.\u201d His attention to the needs of others was also appreciated by another student, who said, \u201cMy meetings with Professor Richter always ended with him saying, \u2018Great to see you,\u2019 which warmed my heart every time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richter\u2019s \u201camazing tzatziki recipe and his homegrown tomatoes\u201d further endeared him to students, and one of them described him as \u201ca professor with style\u2014in his iconic earring!\u201d A tribute would not be complete without mentioning the January Short Term trips to Greece through the years that continue to be the template for how to successfully take 15 to 20 college students abroad and ensure they not only learn a lot but have a lot of fun as well (and survive!).<\/p>\n
The Greece trips were organized and led by Richter and his wife, Professor of Classical Studies Tina Salowey. Richter and Salowey met on her first day on campus in July 1996 when he helped her move into the apartment below him on Faculty Avenue. \u201cThat night,\u201d she recalled, \u201cmy cat, Leo, mewled around the apartment all night and I was finally driven to let him out at about 4:30 in the morning. A huge storm moved in and I couldn\u2019t find Leo, who was terrified of thunder and lightning. Distraught, I searched along Faculty Avenue for my cat and Chris helped me look. We walked and talked, and when I returned to my apartment, Leo was inside, safe and dry (I had left the window open for him), but Chris and I got to know one another. We have been together for 26 years!\u201d<\/p>\n
Among his peers both past and present, Richter is greatly valued. Professor of Economics Emeritus Juergen Fleck recalled, \u201cHe first stood out to me in our Division II (Social Sciences) meetings, where his thoughtful contributions reflected his genuine concern for his students, colleagues, and the Hollins community. I especially admired Chris\u2019 willingness to speak up on important issues in a constructive and nonconfrontational way. This was not lost on other faculty members, who elected him repeatedly to serve on important committees. He has an extraordinary record of service to Hollins,\u201d which included serving as department or division chair numerous times throughout his tenure.<\/p>\n
Fleck added, \u201cAs a teacher and mentor, Chris wanted his students to become active citizens and lifelong learners. So, in his classes, he challenged them with collaborative work and experiential learning. The travel blog posts required of students during the popular Short Term trips to Greece are just one example. He also went out of his way to make students feel at home at Hollins. He and Tina, both great cooks, invited students to their house at the end of each semester to enjoy some home cooking, see the lovely mountains, and meet their cats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richter is widely respected for his research that has spanned a variety of areas of communication studies. These include alternative media, early 1900s travel diaries, visual culture, and his current passion to grow his expertise on Byzantine to Modern Greek history, especially commemorative monuments of the 18th through 20th centuries. His insights on institutional matters that were close to his heart, such as the announcement in 2012 to relocate the student apartments to Faculty Avenue, were reasoned and thorough\u2014even if you didn\u2019t always agree with him. As one faculty member said, \u201cHe is feisty, kind, funny, and passionate about issues that are important to him. It may take him days to craft a response to an issue, conflict, or question, but you can be sure that his response is a thoughtful, in-depth exploration of all sides.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richter is embarking on a new chapter in life, but there is no doubt that he, as another faculty member stated, will \u201ccontinue to find communication in all that he sees around him.\u201d In the meantime, his retirement is leaving some very big shoes to fill. \u201cChris is a man of many talents,\u201d Fleck said, while a student reflected, \u201cWe will miss his strong leadership and dedication to the discipline, the department, and the university. And his tzatziki. What will we do without you, Richter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lori Joseph, professor of communication studies<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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