Perfectly Pleased with now full-time Professor Preasmyer

Karrie Preasmyer is the kind of professor that makes class a highlight of the day. She teaches with such passion and a happy heart. Taking any course with her is a gift and her new position as a full-time professor is something worth celebrating.

Since Spring of 2010, Preasmyer has been an adjunct at Vanguard University. Dr. Karen Lee, Vanguard’s previous chair of the English Department was in desperate need of English professors in the Fall of 2009 and Preasmyer was just what the school needed.

Her switch to Vanguard was quite abrupt. She was teaching at Concordia as an adjunct English professor.

“The English Department was fantastic… but they were really tight and had a lot of professors on staff,” Preasmyer said.

Working at Concordia was perfect for her career at the time, having just completed a rigorous online Masters program. Writing her masters thesis was extremely challenging because she was not working closely with others. Using an online program was rough. 

“It was really difficult… I had no one to bounce my ideas off of,” Preasmyer said. 

However challenging achieving her Masters would be, Preasmyer knew it was a must so she could teach university. Though being a professor was not always what she had imagined, she soon realized she was not fit for being junior high or high school teacher.

“High school’s it and I’ll do English for sure,” were some of Preasmyer’s thoughts before she jumped in head first teaching high school in Madero Ranch. Her perspective changed quickly after that.

“I knew that college was where I wanted to go after… seeing that high schoolers were not mature, so as soon as I received my masters Concordia hired me, immediately, which was really great,” Preasmyer said.

Then there was the switch to Vanguard and things just started falling into place. Once here, she had more courses to teach and increased freedom.

Dr. Karen Lee, Vanguards previous chair of the English Department, started working with her right away, so she could teach in the Spring of 2010. Preasmyer took off from there and it’s been quiet the journey.

“It’s now almost eight years later and I’m here and I love it,” Preasmyer said.

She started teaching Persuasive Writing and Modern Grammar and Advanced Composition (an English major favorite).

When Dr. Greg Austring, an Intercultural Religion professor, needed assistance writing up some new curriculum, Preasmyer took on the project In time, she began writing for the Religion department, SPS, Professional Studies Program, and ESE, eventually even teaching the courses.

Additionally, when the Nursing Department was looking for a professor to teach a few writing courses, Preasmyer volunteered and soon fell in love, noting how teaching them differed from average college students.

“They’re all adults and so serious,” said Preasmyer, thoroughly impressed and refreshed by the passion and intensity the nursing students have when it came to their education.

With such a variety of courses, she has a balance of incoming freshman and older nurses. At one point, she was working for all three department at once.

Soon, the workload became overwhelming, with one semester leaving her with seven courses.

“I was panicked… I wanted all three and I loved all the classes…  [but] I still have four kids,” Preasmyer said. She had to cut back on some things. 

For Preasmyer, a full schedule has been the way she shows how much she loves Vanguard and teaching. Her promotion to full-time professor this school year has reflected her hard work and inspiring spirit.

“It’s a blessing that I’ve been praying for, for a really really really long time…It’s the Lords plan, it’s never mine.”