Professor Karl Sternberg can look back on two full careers: one teaching high school biology, and a lengthy second act at Western New England University.

He served as an Adjunct Instructor at WNE from 1983 to 1998, while still teaching at Minnechaug Regional High School. After retiring from Minnechaug, he came on board full-time at WNE as a Professional Educator of Biology, where he remained until his recent retirement at age 85. Dr. Sternberg was also a driving force in introducing environmental science into the curriculum.

“He’s been a very dedicated teacher for a very long time,” said Dr. Alexander Wurm, Chair of the Department of Physical & Biological Sciences. “He was dedicated to his students, and he was a great colleague.” 

Dr. Emily Ford, Associate Professor of Biology, agreed. “Karl was a wonderful person to work with and a fantastic educator.”

“We’re all so sorry to see Karl go, but happy for him,” said Dr. Kathryn Lipson, Associate Professor of Biology. “Every time I would listen to him lecture, I would learn something new; he had that sort of knowledge. He was such an asset to the University.

“He always went out of his way for students. For example, he would scour the internet for job postings or master’s programs or summer programs and post those on the board for students outside the lab. He was really concerned with helping students succeed once they left Western New England.”