“Coming from a family of educators, education was always something that was important in my household,” says Dr. John Stroffolino, Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences. “But I never planned on going into teaching.”
It wasn’t until his time as a graduate assistant at the University of Delaware that he realized his passion for connecting with and helping students in the classroom.
Dr. John Stroffolino has been at Germanna since 2005, starting as an instructor and serving as chair for the health and physical education department. He was promoted in rank several times, ultimately to professor. He has also held positions as lead chair and faculty senate president during his time as a faculty member at the College.
As he teaches his students in his health and physical education classes, everyone has their own personal journey. And for Dr. Stroffolino, his journey to teaching began back before he even started grade school.
Dr. Stroffolino grew up on the campus of a post-secondary trade school, where his father was a math professor. He grew accustomed to the college atmosphere at a young age and recognized the impact that college professors had on their students.
“We often had students come to our house in the evening for tutoring,” he recalls. “Those moments showed me the reach that my father had as a professor and the difference he was making in students’ lives.”
When it was time for him to begin his college journey, he chose East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, intending to become a physical therapist. But in talking to one of his track teammates, he switched his major after his first year.
“One of my teammates was studying exercise physiology, and he would talk about it at track practice. I thought it sounded neat, so I changed my major. I ended up majoring in movement studies and exercise science with a concentration in exercise physiology and gerontology,” says Dr. Stroffolino.
After completing his bachelor’s degree, he continued his studies at the University of Delaware. His master’s degree program gave him the teaching experience that ultimately changed his career path.
“My graduate assistantship allowed me to teach some of the exercise physiology labs, and I was a teaching assistant for anatomy and physiology classes,” says Dr. Stroffolino. A student himself, these hands-on learning opportunities helped him not only become more comfortable in front of a classroom, but also allowed him to learn more about his field in a non-traditional way.
The next stop on Dr. Stroffolino’s journey was Bucks County Community College, where he was the wellness center coordinator and began teaching part-time. After staying there for five years, he realized that he wanted to go into teaching full-time.
“I was looking for new opportunities for myself, and Germanna stuck out,” he says. So, he applied for a physical education instructor position at Germanna. And nearly 20 years later, Dr. Stroffolino is confident that he made the right choice.
“The Germanna culture is truly something special. Our faculty genuinely care about the students and want to see them succeed.”
In his time as a professor at Germanna, Dr. Stroffolino revolutionized his physical education classes, integrating different fitness technologies into his coursework to help students meet their fitness goals. He read about a college in Texas using the Wii gaming system for physical education classes, so Dr. Stroffolino implemented the Wii Fit into one of his classes at Germanna. This evolved into using Fitbits, giving students a fun way to stay active and an easier solution to track their fitness activity. He was also instrumental in transitioning Germanna’s Lifetime Fitness & Wellness course to an online model.
His current role as Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences positions him as a leader at Germanna, guiding new faculty as they adjust to the College, working with department chairs to shape curriculum, and collaborating with different academic offices.
And though he’s no longer in the classroom full-time, he values the time he spends with students.