Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. '94
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. '94
Interim President, Queensborough Community College
In what ways do you feel your major in history helped to prepare you for your current career? Are there any skills that you developed as an undergraduate history major that are essential to your work?
Majoring in history was the best decision I ever made. It taught me how to reconcile competing points of view, value different perspectives, and think critically and analytically about how others perceive the decisions we make. It also forced me to become a better writer and public speaker—the latter was not a strength of mine, and I used to dread making oral presentations in class, but I've become much more comfortable with that now. In fact, it's one of the things I think I'm best at.
Are there any other reflections on your history major or time in the History Department that you'd like us to include in your spotlight?
Brooklyn College changed my life. I'm a first-generation college student, and I never really thought about what I would do after graduation. I majored in history because I enjoyed the subject and was good at it—I saw it as a way to boost my GPA and get into professional school (I was considering dentistry as a career!). Then one day, an old professor and mentor (Hans Trefousse) suggested that I look at history less as a vehicle to get me into another field, and more as a career choice on its own. I never looked back after that.
Which history course or courses were particularly meaningful to you during your time as a history major and/or have had a lasting influence? Why?
Wow—there are so many to choose from. Courses on the history of NYC ("Burroughs on the Boroughs")…or the Italian Renaissance…or the Gilded Age. I made a point of taking courses in as many subfields as possible, but I think my favorite might have been a course on Constitutional History—it really opened my eyes to the ways in which contemporary issues have historical foundations.
