Scott R. Stankey
Teaching Professor of English
Anoka-Ramsey Community College -- Coon Rapids Campus
Biographical Sketch:
I was born and raised in the south-central Minnesota town of Mankato -- my father was a self-employed carpenter and my mother was an instructor of cosmetology. I attended Mankato West High School, where my interests were music (trombone, tuba, and conducting), chemistry, and English -- in that order.
When I enrolled at Mankato State University, now called Minnesota State University, Mankato, after a two-day stint as a music major, my declared majors were chemistry and “pre-medicine,” and I spent my first two years taking chemistry, calculus, biology, and a few general education courses, including Introduction to the Novel. I also played trombone in the marching band, the concert wind ensemble, and the jazz ensemble. At the end of my sophomore year, I was accepted into the Medical School at the University of Minnesota through its "advanced admissions" program. One benefit of this program was that I wasn’t pressured to major in chemistry, so I switched my major to English and spent my junior and senior years playing catch-up to complete an English major. I graduated from M.S.U. in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in English and a minor in chemistry.
Near the end of my senior year, the chair of the English Department at M.S.U. asked me to consider the graduate program in English and offered me a Freshman Composition Teaching Assistantship. Since I was as interested in English and in teaching as I was in medicine, I wrote and asked the Medical School to delay my admission one year. I then began the Master of Arts in English program, with concentrations in composition theory and literature -- I was also teaching one section of Freshman Composition each quarter. After one year, I withdrew my name from the Medical School’s admissions list and completed my Master of Arts degree in English in 1994 with a thesis on the composing processes of Robert Frost and William Wordsworth.
I
was hired by Anoka-Ramsey Community College in the summer of 1994, as I was
defending my thesis, and I have been here ever since. I have continued my graduate-level education at the
University of Minnesota,
Twin Cities, taking
courses in writing, teaching, 19th Century British Novels,
19th Century American Novels, 20th Century American Novels,
Contemporary American Literature, Developmental Education,
and Instructional Technology. At Anoka Ramsey, I
teach mostly Freshman Composition courses, along with American Literature I and
II, Introduction to Literature,
Short Stories, and Minnesota Writers.
I currently live in Saint Paul with my wife, Joann, and our cat, Charm. Joann has a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology from M.S.U. and served for 13 years as the Research Administrator at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Center for Primate Studies on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. Our favorite hobby is traveling:
Finally, I also currently play bass trombone in two local bands: the St. Anthony Park Community Band, a summer-only group, and Brio Brass, a year-around brass and jazz group.
Contact Information:
Email: scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu
Address: Anoka-Ramsey Community College, 11200 Mississippi Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433
College Phone: 763-433-1100
Office Phone: 763-433-1396
College Fax: 763-433-1521
Web: http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey
Blog: http://teachingscott.blogspot.com
Wiki: http://writingminnesota.pbworks.com
Copyright ©
2011 Scott Stankey / All
Rights Reserved
Last revised on
03 July 2011 by
SRS
Please address comments to scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu