A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: July 10 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Shawn Stewart, special contributor; Cody Lynch, special contributor; Dr. John Glass, special contributor; Amy Lenhart, special contributor; layout and photography by Nick Young.
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Faculty and Staff Spotlight
Tom Mobley
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| Tom Mobley | Math professor
Southwestern University at Memphis (now Rhodes College), bachelor of arts, honors in English
Austin Presbyterian Seminary MDiv
Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and Applied Science, BSEE, magna cum laude and MSEE
Where have you worked in the past and what was your title there?
I served as a Presbyterian minister for about five years in North and South Carolina before returning to school. While I was a student at SMU, I was a co-op at Rockwell International and then worked at Rockwell as an engineer. After Rockwell, I worked as an RF Engineer at Scientific Communication and as a Senior Electronic Systems Engineer at E-Systems in Greenville. From E-Systems, I went into teaching, first as a chemistry and physics teacher at Community High School in Nevada, Texas, and now here at the college.
What book are you currently reading and what is your favorite book of all time?
Currently, I am reading The Nag Hammadi Library. It is a collection of Gnostic writings found in a cave in Egypt in the 1940s, which I am reading for a Sunday school class I teach. My favorite book of all time is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. It is one of the few books I have read more than once.
In your profession/area of study/discipline, who is your foremost influence and why?
Probably my most important influence has been the professors I had in my discipline. I regularly find myself quoting them in class -- perhaps, hoping that I can have the same kind of influence on my students.
How long have you taught at the college?
I have been here 8 ½ years.
What do you like about Collin County Community College?
I particularly like the atmosphere that is conducive to the free exchange of ideas. I am interested in a great many things, some related to the things I teach and some related to other parts of my life. At the college, there are colleagues I can learn much from on just about any topic.
What is your funniest classroom story?
I once made up a ghost story about how University Hall at Preston Ridge is haunted for Halloween. When I told my classes the story, I made a point of telling them I made it up. Then when I finished the story, one of my students said very convincingly “I know what you mean. I have heard that same noise.”
If you could lunch with three people (dead/alive, past/present, etc.) who would it be?
I would invite Pythagoras, Rene Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton. These are heroes of mine that I talk about in class. If there was more room at the table, I would also like to include Galileo, Martin Luther and Eratosthenes of Alexandria. Wow, the table talk around that table!
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