Get to Know the Lee Honors College Staff - Jennifer Townsend

Portrait of Jennifer Townsend
Posted by Bethany Gauthier on

Hiya! My name is Jennifer Townsend, and I’ve been with the honors college for 10 ½ years – longer than anyone else in the college, in fact! I serve as the executive assistant to the dean mainly, but I do a lot of other things too. One of the most important things that falls under my wheelhouse is coordinating the thesis process. Questions about the process, scheduling your defense, or what you need to turn in? Email me! I can also help connect you with faculty sometimes too. One other important function I serve is as building coordinator. If you are hoping for space in the building for an RSO meeting or an event, email me. If you’re hoping for space on Thursday night, I probably have bad news for you. 

My BA in student integrated curriculum focused on English, art, and political science (I was a Department of Political Science Presidential Scholar and am an honors college alum!), and my MA is in spirituality, culture and health. My MA focus was on death and dying in the United States, and I developed a half day workshop on “unthinking mortality” which offers participants the opportunity to explore the one topic we all dread most – our ultimate end. The workshop offers resources for end of life planning, obituary writing, dealing with grief through art, making meaning of our time here on Earth, and a lot more. I also have graduate certificates in aging studies and spirituality, culture, and health.

Currently I teach a section of HNRS 4980 as well as PHIL 3140: Seeing Things Differently-HC. I also serve on the advisory team for We Talk, which gives me the opportunity to promote free speech and viewpoint diversity on campus – two things I am very passionate about. 

What I love most about working in the honors college is the opportunity to connect with so many of our students and get to know them and their interests. We have so many creative, talented, brilliant students that every day is another opportunity to learn something new, and that keeps life interesting. 

In my non-work life I live way out in the country with my husband, two kids, giant dog named Mouse, and our small poultry flock of about (on average) 30 chickens and occasionally guinea fowl. I worked in the photography industry for many years before coming to Western and still photograph any and everything. I’m an avid knitter – it’s my meditation! I love to hike and snowshoe. I get up every morning before 5 to get in at least an hour of kettlebell before work – I don’t know how I lived my life before strength training, but I’ll never give it up. I love to read: non-fiction, mysteries, fantasy, a little sci-fi. Halloween is my favorite day of the year, and if you’ve been following our Instagram stories, you’ll have seen my Halloween countdown featuring my spooky wardrobe. I try to keep a little Halloween in my life year-round, but I definitely make a big deal about it every October. 

One of my very favorite things in the world is dumb jokes, so if you know any, lay ‘em on me. Here’s one for you, just in time for my favorite holiday: What kind of horses go out after dusk? …….. Nightmares! Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all year. 

Come by and visit me in the seminar room Tuesday, October 25, 2022 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and bring your questions (and your jokes). I might have merch and candy for the first ten students who stop by with questions or jokes for me.