CWU math professor Dr. Scott Lewis is retiring as a full time professor  at the end of the school year. Dr. Lewis will be transitioning into phased retirement. According to Dr. Lewis  he will be teaching part time at CWU for the next two academic years after this. Once phased retirement is completed Dr. Lewis will retire full time.

Dr. Lewis has been teaching at CWU since 1988 and is known for his passion about studying and teaching math. He has also worked for other institutions, including Oregon State University, University of Montana, Western Oregon University and Green Mountain College. He has traveled around the world to other countries like Scotland and Finland for his studies.

“My resume looks like a travel brochure,” Lewis said.

Dr. Lewis has worked in other areas aside from math, including environmental studies and conservation biology. In the 1990s he received a grant from the National Science Foundation while studying conservation biology at CWU. This led to him traveling to Finland to study at an environmental institute with the Fulbright Finland Foundation, which offers grants to U.S. citizens so they may pursue individual research. Aside from science, some of Dr. Lewis’s favorite areas of study include the history of mathematics and different forms of  geometry.

Being so well traveled and having studied so many different areas of mathematics and science has allowed Dr. Lewis to bring added knowledge and anecdotes into the classroom.

Dr. Lewis says out of all the places he’s traveled and taught, he prefers smaller towns and colleges.

“I think the best towns on planet Earth are small to midsize college towns,” Dr. Lewis said. “I think Ellensburg and CWU fits that.”

Dr. Lewis has spent more time at CWU than any other institution; he enjoys living and working here. He specifically pointed out how much he likes the diversity on campus.

“I think CWU has made pretty good effort at being a regional institution and being accepting of people of lots of different walks of life,” Dr. Lewis said.

Dr. Lewis also enjoyed the freedom that teaching at CWU gave him because he is able to be  more involved as a faculty member here as compared to at larger schools.

“If I had gone to a larger university, my activities would have been way more constrained,” Dr. Lewis said. “At an institution like CWU, I was able to blossom.”

Now that Dr. Lewis is retiring, he has plans to move to Vancouver Island in Canada with his wife. He plans on continuing to study mathematics in his free time.

“If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would do 80 percent of what I do now anyway. I would study math and talk to other people about it. Why would I stop learning mathematics?” Dr. Lewis said, pointing out that there is always something new to learn.

He added that he would also like to continue teaching when he can, especially being in such close proximity to Vancouver Island University.

“I would like to adjunct or teach a course here or there, or if I had a topic I was studying I could give lectures as a visitor,” Dr. Lewis said.

Dr. Lewis said he will also be staying active during his retirement. He rides his bicycle nearly everywhere because he does not own a car, and he is a certified yoga instructor.

The math department at CWU has left a lasting impression on Dr. Lewis. Students and faculty alike have made his experience in Ellensburg a memorable one.

“You’re never going to get rich teaching, but you get rich in other ways,” Dr. Lewis said. “I’ve had students come back [to see me] after several years. That kind of payoff, there’s no money value you can put on that.”

Senior Emily Beck has taken several classes with Dr. Lewis.

“I’ve had him since last summer,” Beck said. “He’s the most chill guy, but he also really wants you to understand.”

Beck added that Dr. Lewis cares a lot about his students and is an easy professor to connect with on a personal level. She appreciates his humor, knowledge, and willingness to help any one of his students with anything they may need.

Dr. Lewis was recognized for his outstanding teaching in 2008 when he won the Distinguished Teaching Award. He said he owes his success to his students and colleagues. Dr. Lewis has nothing but positive words for the students and faculty in the math department.

“The math department right now is as strong as its ever been,” Dr. Lewis said. “We have an unbelievable collection of excellent teachers. You can’t go wrong in this department and that’s really impressive.”

Dr. Lewis has left a lasting impression on CWU, he will be missed by faculty and students alike.