Joseph McCallus, after founding the professional writing program at Columbus State University and serving 31 years as a professor of professional writing at CSU, has recently transitioned into his new life of retirement.
“I think professional writing within an English department offers students the chance to take their college education, find a good job, and follow their passion for writing,” said McCallus. “That’s just the best of both worlds, being able to follow what you like to do and have a vocation as well.”
McCallus’s academic accomplishments are quite impressive. After earning his undergraduate degree from Penn State in Pennsylvania and both of his graduate degrees from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., McCallus truly dedicated himself to his students, reflecting the support and guidance he received from his professors throughout his academic career.
“There are some students who got professional writing degrees who went on and spent a number of years being a writer and then progressed into being their department heads,” said McCallus. “I have one student in particular, whom I taught in Florida and went to DC, where I would meet him when I would go back, who has become the head of a web design department. He went into web design from professional writing. I’ve always felt that if you got a degree in professional writing, you had a very good chance of landing a job as a writer or as someone who worked with some type of communication.”
His dedication stretched across campuses beyond CSU, such as Penn State, where he received his undergraduate degree, the Catholic University of America, where he received his Master’s and doctoral degrees, the University of Central Florida, FL, as a graduate assistant, and Purdue University in Lafayette, IN. However, before he became an educator, he worked for a defense contractor. McCallus has also written four books, including: Forgotten Under a Tropical Sun: War Stories by American Veterans in the Philippines, 1898-1913, and American Exiles in the Philippines, 1941-1996: A Collected Oral Narrative. These books, alongside his other works, are available to check out at the Simon Schwob Memorial Library.
Naturally, McCallus’s retirement raises a few concerns for English majors on the professional writing track. McCallus designed and taught a majority of the professional writing courses, such as Writing in the Workplace, Grant Writing, Professional Editing, and Technical and Scientific Writing, just to name a few. With this being stated, what does the future of the professional writing track at CSU look like?
Shannon Godlove, the English department’s chair, weighed in on the concern.
“Professor McCallus has been an integral part of our English program and a valued and beloved colleague and professor. He was also the central figure in our Professional Writing track and taught the majority of courses in that track for us,” said Godlove. “His well-earned retirement means that we will need to consider making some adjustments to our course offerings and programs in the future, but I want to reassure any student who is currently enrolled in the Professional Writing track that the courses they need will continue to be offered or reasonable substitutions made to enable them to move forward in their degree programs in a timely fashion.”
Godlove continues, “No decisions have been made at this point, but when they are, any changes will take up to two years to be implemented, and will only impact incoming students, not those who are already in the English program or in a particular track.”
McCallus has made a significant impact on CSU, and his absence will be felt greatly. “I think my greatest accomplishment, as with any professor, not just me, is seeing their students go out and get a good way of earning a living, and progressing with their lives,” said McCallus. “That’s what college education in America is all about.”
