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9.22.04 Dr. Art Gorka New mathematics professor joins Erskine faculty Art Gorka is a long way from home. But the Poland native thinks he’s found a new home at Erskine College. Gorka joined the Erskine faculty this fall as an assistant professor of mathematics and sees himself not only as a teacher, but also as an “ambassador” for his homeland. He said taking the position at Erskine is the “beginning of a new stage of my life.” “I feel very much Polish and in my heart I love Poland and would not want to lose contact with it,” Gorka said. “By the same token, I can be in touch even being here.” Both of Gorka’s parents are chemists and they came to visit him last Christmas. “We went to Florida where it was 80,” he said. “They went home where it was 30 below (zero).” Gorka has found his home away from home, landing in Due West after several years at Clemson University, where he received his doctorate. He has also worked as a visiting assistant professor at Furman University and was a teaching assistant at Clemson while he was working toward his Ph.D. “I came to do my Ph.D. at Clemson,” Gorka said of the reason for his coming to the United States several years ago. “I wanted to work with a professor there. After I finished my Ph.D., I started looking around for a place to work and the professor suggested Erskine.” He said his time at Clemson allowed him to develop an appreciation for South Carolina and its people. He enjoyed traveling along the Blue Ridge Parkway, hiking the Appalachian Trail and seeing other sights in close proximity to the Upstate. But there was more about the state that enticed him to stay. “I like the lifestyle,” Gorka said. “There are easygoing people here who say hello even if they don’t know you. I’ve been to some other places where you feel like you’re a stranger and you’re in a strange world on your own.” He spent most of his life in Poland and received his undergraduate and master’s degrees there, but he decided that he wanted to travel as well as teach. Gorka’s brother is also a professor and teaches European law. He also works for the Polish government. Gorka went to England and taught at a college there, and in the meantime, traveled all over Europe. “I had an idea in my head of getting to know the world,” he said, “not just from the perspective of a tourist, but also from the perspective of someone who lives there.” Gorka describes Poland as a “country of warmhearted people that is preserving its character even now in this fast pace of change in a free market economy.” He said you might notice in the countryside of Poland that carriages being pulled by horses are still a mode of transportation, but on the same streets you might see a new Porsche. Poland has many places of natural beauty, Gorka said, such as mountains, great lakes and the seaside. The country was under Communist rule for many years, but since 1989 has been non-communist. “Poland was one of the first countries to break with Communist rule,” Gorka said. “We have Democratic elections that set the example for other countries to follow. That was one of the elements that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.” The chief difference, he said, between the United States and Poland is “families tend to be more together in Poland.” He said parents, grandparents and children spend more time together in Poland than in the United States. But there are similarities. “The idea of education, marriage and having kids is exactly the same,” he said. Poland's economy flourished in the 1990s, but as in many other countries, 9/11 caused economic struggle. “The workforce is cheaper than here and the quality of the work is good,” Gorka said. “There’s a big Ford plant in Warsaw, about two hours away from my home in Torun. There’s also a GM plant there.” Gorka said he tries to return to Poland once or twice a year and there are things that he misses about the country. “I miss Polish food very much,” he said. “And you lose touch with old friends.” Gorka was favorably impressed by his first group of students – he has about 90 in the four classes that he teaches. “So far I think they are very good students,” he said. “They are very open, friendly, interesting and interested in various things.” Gorka has a few other interests of his own. “I love mathematics, but I have other interests,” he said. “I like traveling and sports. I was the champion of North Carolina in judo a couple of years ago and I have my own section of judo at Clemson.” He also enjoys hang gliding. His impression of Erskine College and Due West are the same now as when he interviewed. “I like the welcoming and friendliness,” Gorka said. “It is a place where you feel welcomed.”
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