A Philosophical Journey
Former classmates secure tenure-track positions at universities across the country.
When Caleb Faul, ’17, and Ben Davis, ’16, were in college, they prioritized books over meals.
“Caleb and I spent outrageous amounts of money on our books and just ate pasta all the time,” said Ben (pictured above, left). “We challenged each other with additional assignments and had self-imposed reading groups, meeting in a cafe to discuss James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses.’”
This fall, the two UND philosophy majors secured tenure-track faculty positions at their respective universities.
Both men credit Dr. Lucian Stone and Dr. Rebecca Rozelle-Stone with inspiring them to pursue doctorates in philosophy. Caleb came to UND as a music major, but his trajectory changed after his first philosophy class with Dr. Stone. “I wanted to be like Lucian Stone; I wanted to be a philosophy professor,” Caleb said.
Ben initially considered a law degree. He was taking political science and history courses and was drawn to the foundational thinkers highlighted in his textbooks. “When a U.S. government text included a passage from Thomas Jefferson, that’s what I focused on,” Ben said. “I wanted to read more of the actual important documents, not just the summaries.”
For Caleb and Ben, philosophy classes proved to be a perfect fit. “Lucian and Rebecca treated us like students who had the capacity to engage with important original material,” Ben said. “That kind of faith in a student, their help in working through things that were quite difficult, and the fact that we could productively engage in the material was very encouraging and formative.”
Ben Davis and Caleb Faul have tenure-track positions at universities across the country.
A Bond Born in Debate
The camaraderie between Caleb and Ben began during their frequent visits to Professor Stone’s office. “I used to spend the entire duration of Lucian’s office hours having philosophical conversations,” Caleb said. “One day, I showed up and was very annoyed because someone else was already there, having a very long conversation.”
That someone was Ben, and that initial frustration turned into friendship. “We became classmates and good friends and started haunting each other’s time as well as our professors’,” Caleb said.
It is truly extraordinary that two of our alumni will be teaching and researching in ways that will impact many others in the future.Professor Lucian Stone
Charting New Territories
Caleb teaches at Westfield State University in Massachusetts. He enjoys life in a small town with an excellent public school system, where his wife, Marie (Liebler-Irwin) Faul, ’15, hopes to get a job as a music teacher. Ben is at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. With family nearby, he’s embracing the Texas heat and said he “almost” bought a pair of cowboy boots.
Caleb and Ben agree that it’s not the place but the students who make their jobs interesting. And Professor Lucian Stone would likely agree.
