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Andy Rex 

Professor, Physics 
43 years 

For Andy Rex, the best part of his time teaching at Puget Sound has been working with students. “Our students are talented and dedicated. It’s a pleasure for me to help launch them to the next stage of life, whatever that is for each individual,” he says. He’s also enjoyed the chance to teach classes outside of physics, including in the Honors program and Connections courses, where he’s been able to interact with students with a wide range of talents and interests.

Rex is the author of numerous articles and books, including most recently Finn’s Thermal Physics, Fourth Edition, a textbook in upper-level thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. He’s proud of his contributions to science education and research, where he says he “helped to advance the frontiers just a little in the foundations of thermodynamics.”

In retirement, he’s looking forward to spending time outdoors and continuing to write.

Maggie Mittuch ’82 

Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services 
41 years 

For four decades, Maggie Mittuch ’82 has enjoyed working with students and contributing to the campus community. In 2000, she created the Student Financial Services (SFS), uniting Student Accounts and Financial Aid into a single office, which she describes as “a labor of love.” Through it all, she spearheaded the SFS’ mission to provide comprehensive, holistic, and seamless financial service to Puget Sound students and families.

Mittuch plans to stay busy in retirement, working full-time on the equestrian boarding and training farm she’s run with her husband for the past 20 years. “I am ramping up my riding time, helping develop some of the horses we own personally, getting back in the arena as a riding instructor, and doing farm chores,” she says. She’s also studying to pass the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage (NBCAAM) and finding time to take her dog hiking in Banner Forest Heritage Park. 

“My ideal day is getting up when the light comes in, enjoying some quiet reading and reflection time, then heading outside to do stuff until the light fades. A true farmer’s life,” Mittuch says.

Mike Valentine 

Professor, Environmental Studies & Sciences 
34 years 

Mike Valentine sees himself as a teacher first and a scientist second. A geologist by training, his favorite class to teach is Intro to Physical Geology, where students who enrolled to fulfill a science requirement would often discover the fascinating world of rocks and minerals. “I really enjoy explaining things and seeing the lights go on,” he says.

Beyond the classroom, Valentine served on the Student Accessibility & Accommodation advisory board and the diversity committee, helping to level the playing field for students with disabilities.

“A few things I would like to pursue in retirement include being a docent at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, volunteering at a food bank and at my church, and doing some traveling,” he says. “I particularly look forward to having the time to visit some old friends that I haven't seen in a while. Oh yes, and more baseball games!”

Liz Collins ’81, P’02 

Community Liaison Officer and Special Assistant to the President 
33 years 

When Liz Collins came to work at Puget Sound in 1992, it felt like coming home. Her first job on campus was in University Relations, where she helped the department run its nascent PC-based computer system. Later, she was involved in the capital campaign to build Harned Hall, where she got to broaden her understanding of the impact of pedagogy in the sciences at Puget Sound.

In 2009, she worked on the university’s initiative to award bachelor’s degrees nunc pro tunc (meaning “now for then”) to 36 Puget Sound students of Japanese descent who were interned during World War II. Collins also worked closely with a succession of university presidents, including Susan Resneck Pierce, Ron Thomas, and Isiaah Crawford, and supported the Board of Trustees. “Who gets to work with such terrific people?” she remarks. “It’s the friendships, the mentorships, and the continuity, talent and dedication of the people here—that’s what I love about Puget Sound.”

She doesn’t have concrete plans for retirement beyond “trying to save the republic one Facebook post at a time,” but she is enjoying the chance to take opportunities as they arise. “In the words of Warren Zevon, ‘Enjoy every sandwich.’”

Jennifer Hastings 

Professor, School of Physical Therapy 
27 years 

Jennifer Hastings’ favorite class was teaching Neurologic Rehabilitation in the early days, which was a class that met four days a week and included a day where people with spinal cord injuries spoke to students about what it’s like to live long-term with a disability. She also enjoyed teaching a first-year seminar course for undergraduates, which earned her a “you’re my favorite teacher” mug from one of her students.

In 2019, Hastings’ work on redefining comprehensive rehabilitation for clients with spinal cord injuries—with a focus on postural support for wheelchair users—earned her the American Physical Therapy Henry O. and Florence P. Kendall Practice Award. The award recognizes clinical practitioners who have made outstanding and enduring contributions to the field of physical therapy.

In retirement, Hastings is looking to hit the open road and take up new hobbies. “My husband and I are buying a travel trailer and we plan to do some road tripping in the U.S. and Canada,” she says. “I will resume playing the piano and take lessons in sewing and perhaps tap dance. I will spend more time riding and working with horses, which is definitely my happy space.”

Mark Reinitz 

Professor, Psychology 
26 years 

Mark Reinitz has taught the psychology capstone class every semester for 12 years. It holds a special place in his heart because it’s the course where he most often sees students become “intellectual adults, ready to move on from college and make a difference in the world.” He’s also enjoyed teaching a class on sensation and perception because many students are surprised that science is more interesting and fun than they expected. “Plus, I got to watch them dissect eyeballs,” he adds.

During his time at Puget Sound, Reinitz devoted a lot of time to his research, which focused on the factors that can lead to false eye-witness accounts in criminal investigations. “This expertise allowed me to testify as an expert witness in many court cases where a (potentially incorrect) eyewitness account was the primary evidence presented to the jury,” he says. “I’m especially proud of the work I’ve done for the Innocence Project and other groups who work to exonerate people falsely convicted of crimes.”

In retirement, Reinitz will continue to serve as an expert witness when duty calls, but he also plans to indulge his creative side, writing short stories, creating music, photographing wildlife, and traveling. “Our plan is to rent a house somewhere far away once each year and go live in that place, starting this fall with five weeks in Tasmania.”

Julie Christoph 

Professor, English 
Director, Center for Writing & Learning 
23 years 

Julie Christoph’s Puget Sound experience encompasses teaching 23 different courses, serving as director of the Center for Writing & Learning (CWL), time spent as dean of faculty affairs, and serving on countless committees. But the thing she loves most is collaborating with students, sometimes years after they graduate. “I appreciate seeing the arcs of their lives, meeting them when they are just developing a sense of what they do with their lives, helping them cultivate their strengths, and then seeing the good work they go on to do in the world,” she says.

Christoph is most proud of her contribution to the development of Sound Writing, an open-source, comprehensive writing handbook that she co-authored with some peer tutors at the CWL. It is used every year by more than 8,000 people, 75% of whom are from outside Puget Sound.

Now that she’s retiring, Christoph is looking forward to new challenges. “I plan to do consulting work that will make use of my problem-solving, teaching, and creative strengths. And I hope to travel as part of that!”

Want to honor a faculty or staff member who made an impact on you at Puget Sound? You can make a donation in their name to support the next generation of Loggers at pugetsound.edu/give.