Tim Boffeli’s teaching career is slowly ending by May of 2025. The Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of Health, Wellness, and Behavioral Sciences has dedicated 32 years to sharing his philosophy with students and facilities here at Clarke University. The successful professor has a Ph.D. in Psychology, Specialization in Educational Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology, Emphasis in Clinical and Counseling, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology. Clarke has had the privilege of knowing and loving Tim Boffeli, who has put in a lot of work during his career.
Tim’s head position at Clarke started in 2003 when he took over the psych program. However, he served as an adjunct (part-time) professor ten years before. He describes his experiences as “a lot of work” as he grew from 35 psychology majors to 75 in five years, and then doubled that number again in five years to 150 majors. Before his plan to start teaching young adults about cognitive behaviors and emotions, he was going to go into the Marine Corps. After being unsuccessful in his transition to serve the country, he found an interest in learning about people. His parents inspired him to pursue a field in psychology because he often did volunteer work growing up. Not only that, but his brothers also pursued careers that helped people. One of the most rewarding moments during his teaching career is seeing alumni who have had success in their careers or triumphs. Tim is proud of being able to help people help people and change the world.
What makes Tim a great teacher is his passion for teaching students about psychological factors while telling great stories about people involved in them. He compares his teaching philosophy to a campfire experience, gathering around a fire, and sharing stories about our fears, family issues, and so on. He comes to work every day eager to teach with a consistently high level of energy. His favorite part of teaching is seeing students change and grow over their college years. Not just academically, but also as people, recognizing growth and personal maturity in students, stating it’s “priceless.”
When it comes to being in the classroom, however, he motivates his students by bringing energy. His psychology philosophy behind bringing energy starts with acknowledging that motivation is related to arousal which means getting brain neurons activated. Tim tries to actively motivate students by stimulating their learning. But a teacher learns sometimes too, and Tim says the most significant thing he has learned from students is the importance of humility. He expresses his humility as a humbleness that he is only present in students’ lives for only a few years. He feels that he has been allowed to be a part of students’ lives and the chance to be a positive influence. One of his biggest challenges is making sure he is doing everything in his power to help students when they struggle. He hopes after students take his courses, they believe in themselves and use the knowledge and experiences they gained to go off and be their best selves. He finds importance in making the world a better place with our power to influence positive change and make a difference on Earth.
Tim’s most fulfilling part of his career as a professor is confidence that he has made a difference in the world. He sometimes wishes he would’ve kept track of how many counselors he has “sent into the world.” He also says he will miss being in the classroom, hallways, and communicating with students he may have had for a single semester or more! His plans for retirement start with a weekly schedule of two days of home projects, two days of helping people, and two days to work on family property with one singular rest day. He aspires to keep doing what he usually does in his own ways of happiness. Tim grew up with some conflicts in high school which led him to improve on his self-work during undergrad and graduate school. He “remade himself” and maintained his self-analysis change while trying to instill the change in others. His biggest takeaway from his career is understanding that he never wasted time, he was always active and did the best he could given the time he had. Although our community is sad to say goodbye to one of our favorite professors, his impact and influence on students and faculty at Clarke is something we will hold close to our hearts.
Tim says, “Every day above ground is a good day, so let’s make the most of it. No matter what is going on, you’re above ground, there’s always tomorrow.”
Comments