Dr. Susan Green, beloved professor, dies at 66

Rebecca Flieder, Editor In Chief|April 14, 2020

Susan Green, Professor at NVU-Johnson, changed the lives of hundreds of students and helped effect policy and major changes to better the institution.

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Susan Green, Professor at NVU-Johnson, changed the lives of hundreds of students and helped effect policy and major changes to better the institution.

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. Please check back for more details. If you would like to share a story or photo with Basement Medicine to add to Dr. Green’s memorial, please email us at [email protected].

NVU President Elaine Collins announced the death of Dr. Susan Green through an email on April 14, 2020.

“Susan arrived at Johnson State College to teach anthropology and sociology classes in 1990,” wrote Collins. “She served as a devoted faculty member until her retirement in May 2019.  Dr. Green played a major role in founding the Wellness and Alternative Medicine (WAM) Program.  She also organized Integrative Medicine Day, which was very well received by students and practitioners who participated.  NVU-Johnson will be forever grateful for Susan’s numerous contributions and valued service to the university.”

Dr. Green’s impact on NVU can not be overstated. On Facebook, through email and instant messages, the students and professors that knew Green had high praise for her as an educator, peer and person. 

2018 NVU alum Sarah Krumeich wrote on Facebook, “I enjoyed taking her class during my and her last year at NVU-Johnson. She was a unique and expressive spirit who will be missed by the NVU Johnson community. RIP to a beautiful soul.”

Leslie Johnson, associate professor of behavioral sciences, wrote in an email, “When I arrived at NVU-Johnson (then JSC) in the fall of 2015, Susan welcomed with me warmth and generosity. She was a truly kind person who cared deeply about her students and colleagues. Even in the busiest times of the semester, she always went out of her way to make time to talk and check in. As a colleague, I so appreciated her willingness to make deep, personal, connections. Susan’s legacy at NVU-Johnson was her deep commitment to her students and her important role in the Wellness and Alternative Medicine Program. She’s greatly missing.”

Professor of Psychology Gina Mireault wrote, “I worked alongside Susan Green since my initial appointment to the faculty in 1992 until her retirement in 2019. In that time, Susan provided mentorship and advocacy for me personally, as well as created and sustained two innovative academic programs for our institution: Wellness & Alternative Medicine and Restorative Criminal Justice.”

“Susan had a strong record of service to NVU,” Mireault wrote. “She single-handedly recognized a national, cultural shift in the way healthcare and wellness were being approached, and the parallel market for the WAM program she established and which continues to thrive. She faced strong resistance at the time from several constituencies, including faculty, but undeterred she went on create an innovative and singular degree program that continues to draw students from across the country. That program still provides our institution with a unique market, and our students with distinctive educational opportunities.”

Mireault also added that Green and Dr. David Plazek developed a new program in Restorative Criminal Justice, which is now delivered by NVU-Online. “The students and the institution continue to be beneficiaries of Susan’s tireless work envisioning, developing and delivering it,” she wrote. 

“Susan was a beloved faculty member,” wrote Mireault. “The institution continues to benefit from her long-standing and visionary work on its behalf.”

Jerry Himelstein, Assistant Professor Sociology at Johnson State College from 2007 to 2013, wrote in an email, “Susan was a wonderful colleague to those of us who taught with her in the Anthropology and Sociology Department.  She was very supportive, always open to new ideas, and helpful in all sorts of ways.  She brought a wide range of guests to the campus, enriching everyone’s education.  She cared deeply for her students and inspired them to great achievements.  Susan’s career at Johnson State leaves an impressive legacy of public service to the college and to Vermont.”