After 31 years of teaching political science and active faculty participation at BYU-Hawaii, Dr. Dale Robertson retires this month leaving a long line of passionate and appreciative students that have ventured to complete the university's mission. "...[His] biggest legacy will be the number of students whose lives he has personally affected, the number of students who have gone on to do better things, to achieve higher degrees...who have become lawyers or politicians," says Jon Jonassen, a previous student of Dr. Robertson's and current BYU-Hawaii professor.
Robertson's wife, Linda will also be retiring after 23 years as a special instructor of math. "She is a much better teacher than I am," said Robertson. "Her specialty is developmental math and she loves it and is very good at it." Linda is known for her helpful and compassionate patience with students. "There are tons of students who would not ever, in their life, be able to complete their math classes except for her patience and caring, her taking the time to explain [concepts] to them and help them along, not giving up on them, and encouragement," said academic advisor Karen Miller. The Robertsons have 14 grandchildren from their six children who are pursuing careers and degrees in a wide variety of areas.
Dale Robertson came to BYU-Hawaii in 1977 with a master's in political science and PhD in international relations from American University. He has since gained a large collection of students who have returned to take on the same noble calling of professorship. Chad Ford, Jon Jonassen, Chiung Chen, and Christina Akinoa are all living examples of Dr Robertson's efforts to produce students with a desire to affect change, each one of them now producing more students with that same desire. Many professors have accredited their BYU-Hawaii professorship to him. Political Science graduate Sondra Kahawaii said, "As Henry Brooks Adams once stated, 'A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.' This epitomizes the depth and breadth of Dr. Robertson on me and many of his other students... anyone he has ever come into contact with will never be the same; they will be better."
Dr. Robertson and his students: both current students and alumni turned professors
"He is very concerned about students' progress and skills and career choices. A lot of what he does is to help students, not necessarily because it helps the school or faculty," said Miller, advisor to Robertson's political science students. "He has been a champion of our political students, helping them get into law school..." Truman Scholar and 2005 BYU-Hawaii Valedictorian, Alisi Langi, said, "It is hard to imagine BYU-Hawaii's Political Science department without Dr. Robertson. He was such an important and vibrant part of my education at BYU-Hawaii. His encouragement, witty humor, and his willingness to do more than what might be considered 'part of his job description' was an inspiration to me as a student. I am very grateful I had the opportunity to learn from such a wonderful professor, person, and friend." Langi is now pursuing a law degree at BYU in Provo.
Robertson has a long list of very accomplished students who have gone out to make a positive difference in the world that he loves to hear from. Will Swain, once a quiet average student whom Robertson came across in Micronesia as administrative assistant of the country, has been "called the most honest and only incorruptible person on the island." Swain was "assigned to be ambassador to the UN" and called by the church to translate the Book of Mormon. Another of Robertson's students interned as the sole speechwriter for the President of Tahiti. Yet another student became, "head of the humanitarian arm of one of the largest fruit growing companies in California," Robertson explained. "She spends all day long spending their money helping people," setting up afterschool and relief programs. "I am so proud," said Robertson.
Through the years, Robertson has earned many accolades himself, receiving the President's Council's Teacher of the Year award in both 1987 and 1999 and has also given multiple convocation addresses. He is the only professor to receive two Honored Professor of the Year awards in both 1997 and 2003 from the Honors Program. "It is great to be honored by the honors students," said Robertson, however, "...one of the greatest honors that I have received is the David O. McKay Lecture because it is a recognition from my peers, the faculty members."
Robertson's success in the classroom has impacted students very deeply through the years. In this dizzying atmosphere of discussion and confusion, Robertson is able to orchestrate a class to simply get the students to think for themselves. Political science student, Jon Lang, explains, "He encourages you to question him, the establishment, and all ideas around you until you decide for yourself what is truth, what is right, and how you should think...You must be on your toes and know why you think the way that you think, otherwise, he may throw you a curveball. You'll agree with [something] without even knowing it and he's got you; he'll point out the flaws in your thinking and argument."
Robertson has come to be known for his aggressive and challenging nature. Known to some of his students as 'Dr. Evil' in past years, "students like him because he challenges them and he stretches them..." Miller said. "Some of his classes are hard but they love it because they learn a lot. There are a lot of students who are disappointed that he's going to retire because they don't get to have him [as a professor] next semester." Political Science student, Daniel Long, said, "I have delighted in being told how wrong I am; as a result, I have learned a great deal more from Dr. Robertson than I ever have from any other sensitive, tactful soul that has been my professor."
Robertson, a "died-in-the-wool Democrat," still shows respect for his political opposites. Things tend to get exciting in the political science department around election time. "He's a very strong, outspoken Democrat but he doesn't knock Republicans," said Jonassen. "He teases them, and Republicans tease him, but he's very open to the other person's view."
Dr. Troy Smith, political science professor and Republican, explained, "The joke is that, when you walk into the building, if you go to the right, you go to Dr. Smith's office and, if you go to the left, you go Dale's office...We do have our go-arounds on politics every now and then...but, when it comes right to it, he's pretty moderate...and understanding that you need two parties to balance each other out...[however] when you get in a debate with him, he's willing to present his ideas as the great solution to all the problems."
Not just a talker but a doer, Robertson follows election results very closely and regularly. Posting the results on his door helps students and staff alike keep track and participate in anticipation. Both Dale and Linda Robertson also regularly volunteer at the local poll stations.
Robertson has been a very active department chair and a firm believer in faculty and student views in relation to university issues. In the late 1980's, Church Educational System Board of Directors asked the school to cut down the time it took for students to graduate. "Basically, they handed the scalpel to the faculty and the faculty did it and Dale Robertson chaired the whole effort," said Dr. Randal Allred, English professor. "Dale, even though some people consider him as an extremist, is very good at getting people to talk and to think and getting them to come up with real ideas that work." With enormously successful results exceeding expectations, graduation rates doubled. "[Faculty are] characterized as being adverse to change, but that is just not true, we just want to be part of the change. We don't want to stand in the way, we just want to be heard, we want to have an input...I believe in the institution, I believe in the faculty voice," Robertson said.
Allred explained, "To get things done, he likes to take the opposite tack of what everybody else is saying. Mostly, he does this to get us to test our premises and see which way we really want to go. Sometimes he'll just say shocking things for the fun of it. Often, he says shocking things because he really believes them but at least he makes those of us who disagree with him really examine the foundations of what we are willing to do." Jonassen also explained, "I've sat in meetings where he would get up and say something that is right that no one else wants to say but needs to be said."
At Robertson's retirement party, BYU-Hawaii VP of Student life, Debbie Hippolite Wright referenced 2 Timothy 4:7 when she said, referring to Dr. Robertson, "You have fought a good fight, you have finished your course, and you have kept the faith. That's all anyone could have asked of you."
Robertson is often found fighting for the underdog, taking the loyal opposition, or playing the role of devil's advocate. Miller said, "Dr. Robertson is not afraid to ask difficult questions of both faculty and students to stretch their thinking skills and help them cope with and understand difficult concepts... He takes the difficult, unpopular, or uncomfortable points of view because they need to be brought up and discussed...and he's not afraid to look into it and ask those kinds of questions not because he's trying to be rebellious...but because he sincerely wants to find out positive solutions."
"If you can ask something with a sense of humor, you can be a lot more effective than being a strident critic," said Robertson. Robertson's humor became as much a tool as his dangerous statements. "I found myself eager to attend his lectures and laugh at his sophisticated humor," commented student Ryan Martz. Another student, Stephen Cordon, said, "His ruthless sense of humor was always something that I could count on, look forward to in every class period. I appreciate him as one of the better teachers that I have ever had."
Dr. Robertson teaching one of his infamous political science classes
"He's provocative," said Allred. "He disturbs students but, most of all, he makes them think, which is what I really appreciate about him because that means he is truly in the mode of an honors professor, trying to get students to explore." Robertson has been an avid supporter of the Honors program. "I have always had kind of like a father's view of the honors program, as I created it," said Robertson. Allred said, "He's always telling students they ought to be in it and supports the ideals that the Honors program stands for...that students need to take control of their own education, they need to seek out learning as much as they can and not just simply wait for it to be fed to them in the class room... He constantly identifies students who have that kind of yearning and sends them on to us."
"I owe so much to the honors students," said Robertson. "When there is somebody there, setting the standard and demonstrating that this can be done, that it is not an impossible test, that [learning or getting an A] can be done. That just takes so much burden off the faculty member."
"He's always had great faith in the ability of this place to be a first-class university and not simply a sister school out in the middle of the Pacific," said Allred. Robertson has always fought hard for the best interests of the school, for its diversity, for its mission. Robertson said, "One time, an accreditation person asked me if I had a diversity section in my class. I said I have people from 18 different countries who speak 25 different languages. We don't 'do' diversity; we are diversity."
"There have been a lot of changes in this school since I've been here and I have been against every single one of them... I am the old guard, the anchor, you know; the one that the new president has to deal with," Robertson explained. When asked why he is retiring, he commented, "The school is going in directions that I don't see myself being part of in the future. I'd like to leave with a very positive feeling about where we are, where we've been, what my students have done." Dale and Linda plan to continue living in the community and travel, visiting family and many LDS temples.
"It will certainly be a lot more boring around here without him. Who are we going to get to be wrong about politics if we don't have him here," said Allred. Jonassen also commented, "I think the BYU-Hawaii environment is a much better place because he was here. Many faculty, staff, and people have benefited because they got to know him. I think he will be missed. Because BYUH is a changing environment, maybe we won't realize how much we've missed until later."
—Recent photos by Monique Saenz and Leilani Miller
—Other photos courtesy of BYU–Hawaii archives
:: Watch photo tribute compiled by Debbie Hartman ::
:: Read division chair recommendation for Robertson in 1993 ::