Profile: Hollis Duncan = Mathematics + Soccer Dad

Traveling along I-5, a Linn-Benton Community College sign came into view. Forty-two year old Hollis Duncan said to his wife, "Maybe I will work there someday."

Hollis Duncan 

Duncan isn't your typical mathematics instructor, he is a "soccer mom". He has three children and a wife. Every soccer game Duncan can be spotted on the side lines cheering his children to victory.

Eleven years and counting is how long Duncan has been an instructor at Linn-Benton Community College. He didn't always aspire to be a mathematics instructor. Aspirations of a being a zoologist early on with one slight dilemma...penguins or wolves?

Duncan couldn't decide which animal he liked more, so he went in a different direction with his education and career.

"Even when he's being serious he's funny" said, Bethany Pratt.

Wearing a tie dye shirt with mathematics printed on it, he walks in with teaching in mind. Casually approaching the front of the class with a wit leading us to believe he's a joker and not a thinker. Then out of nowhere comes this knowledge of sorts.

Sheri Rogers said, "He is quietly friendly and often times hilarious."

Reserved, Duncan begins his lesson. Filling out minds with algebra and doing it in a way only he could. Psst! And then the look...you've been caught having a side conversation. Psst! An eyebrow raise and a point, then you know you've been caught red handed in the cookie jar.

Strolling through the aisles of students, Duncan makes sure everyone understands. Strict lectures aren't like Duncan. He's a laid back kind of guy.

"Math can be fun" said, Duncan.

Zoologist or not, Duncan is a success in his own right. Mathematics instructors instruct, observe, and study students; looks like Hollis Duncan became a zoologist after-all. The only difference is the subject.

Links to hobbies:
Kayaking
Hiking
Mountain Climbing
Camping

At a glance:

Subject: Hollis Duncan

Age: Forty-two years young

Career: Mathematics Instructor

Location: Linn-Benton Community College

Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11 a.m. to noon; Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday by appointment. 

Phone: (541) 917-4758

Email: hollis.duncan@linnbenton.edu

Hobbies: Camping, kayaking, and climbing

Organizations: ORMATYC (Oregon Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges) and AMATYC 

(American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges)

Education: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Chattanooga State, and Oregon State University just to name a few.