A conversation with Dr. Watson

By Ashley Neptune

With a new school year comes many new faces. The Rider News will be showcasing these faces throughout the semester with a series of question-and-answer interviews. For the first installment of the Q&A series, Ashley Neptune sat down with Dr. Elizabeth Watson, associate professor of Education.

Q: What was the last school you taught at?

A: Stevens Institute of Technology. I taught there for 10 years.

Q: What was your favorite subject growing up and why?

A: Math. I had wonderful teachers.

Q: Why did you come to Rider?

A: Because I like the people a lot and I think the organizational leadership program is a wonderful program. I believe it would be very interesting for me to work with it.

Q: What drove you to teach?

A: Role models. Teaching is a gigantic challenge and it’s really important. I want to help people see, grow and develop.

Q: What drove you to teach the subject that you do?

A: I have a lot of curiosity. It’s fascinating. There is so much interesting material and I want to continue exploring it.

Q: Where did you graduate from and what did you study?

A: Teachers College of Columbia University. Adult Learning and Leadership.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: My main one is riding horses. I also love to travel. I’ve actually ridden horses in Europe. I’ve ridden in Spain, Portugal, Wales, Germany and Italy. It’s a great way for me to combine both things.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley. It’s an absolutely beautifully written story and it’s great fun to read.

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: That’s a hard one. I’m going to go with The Apprentice. One of my research interests in group behavior are group processes and creativity in groups. The people on that show have to use a lot of that. It’s a neat thing to see what they do and how they interact.