After a 34 year-career teaching in the Duluth Public Schools, Jim Sersha took a part-time job at UMD because he “wanted to stay busy.” Little did he know, he was embarking on a second career. Two decades later, he’s now retiring from his role as field placement officer.
Sersha started out supervising UMD student teachers in 2001. After a short while, he was asked to teach a class on educational strategies. Soon he was working full-time in the field of education again.
The following year, Sersha was asked to take on the role of co-director of the Office of Field Experiences. Eventually, he would take on full responsibility for its leadership. One of his proudest accomplishments is helping the field experience office to evolve and grow.
“UMD is known throughout the state as a good place to go for education,” Sersha says and notes that he took care to make the field office a place where faculty could come for consultations and discussions about student development. “I wanted to make it accessible to everybody. The door was always open to students, faculty, and staff.”
When Sersha and his colleagues saw the need, they worked to put together the State Field Experience Coordinators Coalition of Minnesota. Developing and founding this nonprofit to support field experience personnel was another one of Sersha’s major achievements.
During his time at UMD, Sersha also helped to develop international student teaching partnerships—sending 25-30 student teachers a year on meaningful study abroad experiences.
“This opportunity is unique in the state. Though there are external entities that offer future teachers the opportunity to student teach internationally, these programs are often cost-prohibitive,” says Jill Pinkney Pastrana, CEHSP Dean. “Jim Sersha recognized the transformational opportunity teaching abroad would offer our students. He carefully and intentionally worked with colleagues abroad to establish a program that would be more affordable and accessible to our students. This exemplary program has been a gift to many students over the years.”
Sersha received both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from UMD. He says working for his alma mater has been a great experience and feels “blessed to go from 34 years of teaching to another 20 years of enjoyment.”
Though Sersha plans to enjoy retirement, don’t expect him to sit around and be a couch potato! “I’m not the kind of person to go to McDonald's to visit with the guys twice a day over senior coffee,” he quips.
Sersha will continue to supervise four student teachers next fall. He looks forward to having more free time to go fishing and blueberry picking this summer. He plans to spend more time with family and friends. Day trips with his wife are on the agenda as well as visits to see grandchildren in the Twin Cities. He also intends to travel internationally again to visit relatives in Slovenia.
When asked to reflect on his career, he says. “I feel I haven’t worked a day in my life. I loved it so much. If I had to do it again, I’d do it the same.”