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Becky Beach, Associate Professor of Biology

Becky Beach

Associate Professor of Biology

Rebecca BeachRebecca “Becky” Beach joined the Hollins biology department in the fall of 1994. With degrees and expertise in genetics, cell and molecular biology, and developmental biology, she has led the biology curriculum in these areas for the past 27 years.

Becky has guided numerous students through creative and meaningful independent research experiences over the years, both alone and in partnership with colleagues. Her scholarly endeavors have often included students, and several of her scientific publications have included student coauthors. Her mentorship has ignited the trajectory of so many students into graduate study, human medicine, veterinary medicine, and the biotech industry. Their success in these fields, and thus the success of Hollins as an institution of higher learning, is due in part to her effort and dedication in the classroom and laboratory.

Hollins students speak very highly of Becky as a professor, advisor, and mentor, remarking on her supportive and encouraging nature, and her expertise in the classroom and laboratory. A first-year student recently told her, “I love how you connect with your students on a personal level. I feel like I can come to you about anything, I trust you and you have made an amazing impact on my education.”

Students in her 300-level Genetics course and laboratory have been similarly laudatory: “Very interesting course. Dr. Beach loves this topic and really enjoys teaching it,” and “Great class, super interesting. Dr. Beach is amazing!”

Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Elizabeth “Liz” Gleim ’06 has known Becky as both a professor and as a departmental colleague. Liz reflected on these experiences:

“I first knew Becky when she was my professor at Hollins. Then as now, she was so kind and supportive of her students, and I was always in awe of what she knew about all things molecular and cell-based. As a colleague, Becky continues to amaze me with the wealth of practical knowledge she’s amassed in the lab, which I have drawn upon on many occasions, and her continued interest in topics relevant to her field. I will always be grateful to Becky for what she gave me as a student and now as a colleague. She helped lay the foundation for the laboratory skills and molecular and cell-based knowledge that helped me secure my first job out of Hollins at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and on to graduate school and today. To think that I am just one of the countless students whose careers she has helped to launch and the many wonderful things that those students have gone on to do is just amazing.”

Biology Department Technician Cheryl Taylor, who earned her degree in biology from Hollins in 2009 as a Horizon student, echoed that good fortune:

“Becky was the first person I met in the biology department. I was a bit nervous coming to Hollins as an adult Horizon student. I was so unsure of how I would do academically while working a full-time job and raising two children. Or how I would fit in with the other students that were far younger than me. Becky immediately picked up on that nervousness and assured me I would be just fine. She became my advisor and she helped me navigate the transferring of credits from community college and what my next steps would be to achieve my degree. She was so helpful, kind, and reassuring. As the biology lab technician at Hollins, I have engaged with Becky on a different level. She is an awesome colleague and mentor. She loves to teach and enjoys working with our students. She encourages them and guides them through tough subjects and tough schedules. Becky is such a wonderful soul. She has touched many lives in her tenure at Hollins, mine being one of them.”

Becky’s service and commitment to the Hollins community have been remarkable. She has taught over a dozen different courses in the General Education program, the First-Year Seminar program, and the biology major. She has served multiple times as chair of the biology department, and as chair of Division III and representative on the Faculty Executive Committee. Over the years she has made invaluable contributions as a member of the Academic Policy Committee, Harassment Grievance Board, and Review Board, and several search, scholarship, and advisory committees. Becky has also served the university as clerk of the faculty and for several years as dean of academic services.

Becky has brought a love for dogs, particularly Australian Shepherds, into the classroom and has woven it into both a January Short Term course and a semester course, Biology of Dogs. In addition, in partnership with her Aussies, Lilly and Jake, Becky has earned numerous titles on obedience and scent detection, and participates regularly in local, state, and regional competitions.

In addition to her excellence as an academician and canine trainer, Becky is an outstanding baker. I first learned this at the end of my first semester as a member of the department. By the time the final exam period arrived, I was worn paper-thin and looking forward to the holiday break. On the last day of exams, I found a surprise in my office: a beautiful bounty of parchment paper-wrapped packages containing homemade cranberry bread, chocolate and peanut butter fudge, cinnamon cake drizzled with icing, and my absolute favorite—molasses cookies. Becky has given this wonderful gift to me and to each of my departmental colleagues every year since.

I have always known that I can count on Becky not only as a close colleague, but also as a friend. On behalf of my colleagues, coworkers across campus, and the many hundreds of students whose lives she has impacted, I thank her for all she has done for Hollins. I congratulate her on an outstanding faculty career and on her retirement. As Professor of Biology Renee Godard said, “Becky is irreplaceable. Our hearts and minds have grown in her presence and will echo in her absence.”

C. Morgan Wilson, Janet W. Spear professor and chair of biology