After 32 years, Jo Ann Marson is retiring and saying goodbye to Viterbo. “Everybody asks me if I’m counting down the days until I retire, and no, I like what I’m doing.” She does look forward to doing other things and spending more time with her husband, but she will miss doing what she loves. “Religion and accounting are a lot alike.” Jo Marson, associate professor, recalls being told by a former colleague, Earl Medary religious studies, “You follow the rules and you don’t get in trouble.”
Growing up with a teacher for a mother, Marson got to see the behind-the-scenes actions of educators. With this insight, she was able to admire the efforts and take up the challenge for herself. Marson recalls not wanting to work with grade-schoolers, so after high school, she moved on to college and graduated with a degree in secondary education in mathematics.
Her career in secondary education didn’t last long; she disliked working with that age group. This led to more college with some courses in accounting because she thought they were like math. “I have since learned they are really not the same,” Marson said.
After graduation, she moved around a bit before finding a job with St. Teressa’s College in Winona, Minn. “I loved teaching traditional-aged college students,” Marson had finally found her fit.
Watching students mature is part of why Marson loves this age group. There is usually a vast difference between the two, and getting to know the person as they mature and helping them through the process is one of the reasons that she loves her job.
When asked what advice she’d give students Marson said this: “Do as many interviews as you can… I always tell students to apply for anything that sounds the least little bit interesting, even if you don’t think you’re qualified for it.”
Marson lived this when she applied for the job at St. Teressa’s College. While she has many success stories with students who have gone on to work in big accounting firms, her fondest memory is from her first year of teaching college. Marson connected with a homesick student while she felt homesick, which made an impact on her that she still recalls to this day.
When working with students, she likes to tell her freshman, “You think this is like math, it’s not it’s like religion.” It is quirky but reminds students that she too is human.
Retiring from Viterbo is not because she is sick of her job; Marson said: “You get to a point in your life and you need to move on.” The impact that she has had on students is great, and she will be missed on campus.
