Retirement won't stop professor's involvement on campus

By Priscilla Castro
The Collegian

He bids farewell to the classroom, and says he looks forward to the next phase in his life.

After serving 39 years at Fresno State, social work Professor Sudarshan Kapoor has made the decision to retire.

“I don’t like to call it retire,” he said. “I like to call it recycling myself.”

Kapoor was born in Panjab, India. He came to the United States in 1963 and four years later, in 1967, he came to Fresno State, where he became a professor in social work.

He and his wife moved to Fresno because they were looking for a better climate.

In Fresno he found better weather, and the beginnings of a lifetime of teaching. Educating was something Kapoor always wanted to do.

“I always enjoyed this role,” he said. “My goal has been to give the best of myself.”

He began his career at Fresno State teaching graduate courses. Soon, there was a need for undergraduate instructors, and Kapoor said he volunteered to teach undergraduates.

“I found undergraduates more challenging because they kept asking me questions,” he said. Teaching undergraduates also kept him feeling younger, he said.

His contributions to the campus continued beyond the classroom.

One of Kapoor’s more noticeable contributions to Fresno State is in the Peace Garden. Kapoor said he, along with others, were instrumental in its beginnings.

“I consider myself an instrument,” he said. “Many people worked very hard.”

Currently, he is the Chair of the Peace Garden Advisory Committee, a position he will keep even in retirement.

Though he is no longer going to be in the classroom, he still plans on being very visible on Fresno State’s campus. Kapoor said he wants to add on to the Peace Garden. The next thing he wants to get add to it is to have a memorial for Native Americans. “Their spirituality is close to the same as my culture,” he said.

After he retires he will have more time to work on that, he said.

Another addition he would like to see to the Peace Garden is a Peace Wall. He said his vision is of a 6 foot wall, representing all the ethnic groups in the San Joaquin Valley.

Teaching will not be completely gone from Kapoor’s future. He said he would always be available for it, and he will come back and teach a few classes if he is needed.

Kapoor said Fresno State was a big part of his life. He refers to his life at Fresno State like a marriage.

“I have been married to my wife for 41 years, and I have been married to Fresno State for 39 years,” he said.

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