As an undergraduate at Cornell University, Assistant Professor of Political Science Kerry Chase was surprised when his Introduction to International Relations Professor entered the classroom wearing nothing but gym shorts and a t-shirt.
The professor, who would often jog after class, would lecture "in short Adidas shorts that revealed a bit too much of his legs."
Today, Chase teaches his own Introduction to International Relations class - but always in a suit and tie.
"I would presume that it would be uncomfortable to all of my students if I were to show up wearing shorts and started stretching. I guess my own professor got a little thrill from doing this, but that is something I can promise I will not bring in to my classes," Chase said.
Chase completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University in 1991 as a government major with a focus on international relations. Since receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1999, he has been teaching courses on U.S. foreign policy, international economic relations and globalization, among others, in the Tufts political science department.
He was also appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Politics at the Fletcher School in 2000.
Raised in Ithaca, New York, Chase said that it was "strange" going to school where he grew up.
"For instance, I took an astronomy course with my friend's father," he said. "We had zero interaction during class because there were several hundred students in the course. However, for me it was strange to have this man, whom I had seen on Sunday mornings with his hair all messy, as a professor."
Nonetheless, Chase says his experience at Cornell was academically rewarding: He interacted with several internationally renowned professors, such as well-known historian Walter LaFaber.
"While I consider myself to be politically center-left, this man was very politically left. He would say some things on motifs of U.S. foreign policy that I just didn't believe - I just wasn't that cynical," Chase said, adding that Faber achieved such respect in his field because of his politically left orientation.
After graduating, Chase went on a trip to Europe, as do many college students. "I stayed in hostels and cheap hotels-things like that," he said.
Though he had originally planned on attending Columbia University for graduate school, UCLA began to appeal more to his taste. "I liked the people, and the place seemed like a paradise where I could get a great education and enjoy my life," Chase said.
Chase did enjoy the Los Angeles weather, which was a far cry from Ithaca winters. "I loved riding my bike on the boardwalk," he said. "I played on softball and baseball leagues year-round! We had games in December and January. In New York, this would have been impossible."
After receiving his Ph.D., Professor Chase began to search for employment. "When you finish your graduate degree, you look for where jobs are, and you send out applications," he said.
When Chase saw that Tufts was looking for a professor in the area of international political economy, he remembers thinking, "This is one job I would like to have."
Because of Tufts' prime location near a large city as well as its proximity to his graduate advisor from UCLA, who was working at Harvard, Chase chose to teach at Tufts. He said he "felt the need to be around high quality and motivated students."
"I wanted to be challenged and energized in the classroom," he added.
In addition to his career in academia, Chase leads a very busy home life with his wife and two young children, a one-and-a-half year old daughter and a six-month-old son.
According to Chase, having children has "changed his life."
"When they learn to smile voluntarily in response to something you have done, or just in response to seeing you, it becomes a huge event in the life of a parent," he said.
Chase, however, acknowledges the dual challenges of having a career and being a parent. "It is tough to get up in the middle of the night when one of my kids is teething, especially because I have to get up the next morning and go to work. My wife and I both have careers; she'll come home from work and then I'll go to work - it's a juggle," Chase said.
"But it's worth it," he said. "With your kids, you get satisfaction every single day, whereas with your profession you get satisfaction, but it is more spaced-out."
