German professor loved by colleagues, students

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On a particularly cloudy day, German professor Volkmar Risch took his students canoeing.

“It looks a little overcast,” one student said. “Do you think it’s going to rain?”

“No chance of it raining,” Risch replied. “Absolutely none!”

After a few drops fell, a student once again approached Risch: “Are you sure about the rain?”

“Yes.

On a particularly cloudy day, German professor Volkmar Risch took his students canoeing.

“It looks a little overcast,” one student said. “Do you think it’s going to rain?”

“No chance of it raining,” Risch replied. “Absolutely none!”

After a few drops fell, a student once again approached Risch: “Are you sure about the rain?”

“Yes. It’s going to blow over. Absolutely.”

Soon the rain poured, but Risch remained confident the weather would clear up so he and his students could go canoeing. It was typical of his unbounded optimism, said Robert Godwin-Jones, professor of the School of World Studies. He laughed as he recalled the canoeing trip and added they were able to go canoeing just as Risch predicted.

“He was always in a good mood,” said R. McKenna Brown, director of the School of World Studies. “I don’t think I ever heard Volkmar complain.”

“For all of us, he’s definitely a reminder of who we all would like to be – very free-spirited and carefree.”

-Lynn Winkler, junior German major

Risch, a member of the VCU community for 20 years, died of cancer April 4. He had been diagnosed with the disease in March 2005 but continued teaching until the beginning of spring semester.

A native of Germany, Risch attended the University of Oldenburg and came to VCU in 1986 to teach all levels of German courses. He was a part-time faculty member who worked with students inside the classroom and beyond, Godwin-Jones said. Risch was the German Club’s faculty adviser, a position usually held by full-time faculty members.

“He did it because he enjoyed doing it, and he thought it was important for the German program,” Godwin-Jones said. “I think students felt very close to him because he treated them as equals and genuinely enjoyed doing things with students.”

Lynn Winkler, vice president of the German Club, said Risch continued to organize meetings and events for the club despite his illness. He organized camping and ski trips as well as excursions to German restaurants. In the fall semester, the German professor held in his Goochland home a “Fruhschoppen,” traditionally a Sunday morning gathering where wine, cheese and food are served.

But Risch grew noticeably weaker as time passed and began to miss club meetings, said Winkler, a junior German major.

“He was definitely more tired but he tried his absolute hardest,” she said. “I think it motivated him even more to be better for us.”

Colleagues remember Risch as a professor whose teaching methods defied convention. He had a dynamic teaching style, Godwin-Jones said, and never sat behind the desk. He also encouraged students to participate in classroom activities as well as to pursue the language beyond required courses.

“He really had that skill of being able to make students feel comfortable and really get them interested in German,” said Godwin-Jones, who also teaches the language. “They felt they were making progress, which is kind of the keys of being able to convince students to continue their study of the language.”

As director of the School of World Studies, Brown worked with Risch to expand the school’s study abroad programs. Instead of taking tours of museums in Germany, Risch wanted to take students bicycling across the country.

“It sort of set off a minor panic attack, but it was a very unorthodox, exciting idea. That to me was Volkmar,” Brown said. “He marched to the beat of his own drum.”

His teaching methods caught the attention of his colleagues, who nominated Risch for VCU’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award in 2005. Risch was too ill to attend the ceremony, but his two children – Melanie, 14, and Christopher, 13 – accepted the award on his behalf.

A memorial service for Risch was held April 8 at the Byrd Theater. Godwin-Jones said the German professor ‘s death has left a void in the school.

“I think the general sense is we’re going to miss having Volkmar around,” he said. “He was just a joy to talk to and a wonderful colleague.”

Winkler said Risch was a loving professor who was never too busy for his students.

“For all of us, he’s definitely a reminder of who we all would like to be – very free-spirited and carefree.”

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