"My brain doesn't think I'm old, only my body does," said Mac Gimse, Art History Professor. "You get to a certain age and decide it's time to step down before your mind goes." Gimse is retiring at the end of this semester- after 31 years of teaching at St. Olaf College. He had intentions of retiring at the end of last year, but ended up staying on for one more year to be the Field Supervisor of St. Olaf's Global Semester abroad program.

In addition to the Global, the couple has gone on the Term in the Middle East and the Term in Asia, each twice. They have also led over a dozen Interim trips to places like China, France, Italy and Russia.

Jackie is a retired Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse at United Hospital in St. Paul. The couple has been married for 40 years. "These trips will make or break a marriage," said Gimse. How do they measure the endurance of their marriage? "I think it is being with each other so long in very high stress situations."

Gimse came to St. Olaf in 1970 to replace Arnold Flaten as a sculpture professor. For the first 15 years of his career here, he taught Studio Art. His main focuses were Sculpture and Ceramics, but he also taught Watercolor Painting and Drawing. He then began to focus on Art History and travel. He now teaches courses such as Art of China and Japan, Art of Africa, Art of India, and History of World Architecture. Gimse also taught several rounds of the Great Conversation over the years, and was a paracollege tutor from 1973 to 2000. He was also a member of the founding faculty for the Interdisciplinary Fine Arts Major.

Gimse intends to spend his retirement working on sculpture. He already has several independent projects planned.

Mac and Jackie live in an old church in Dundas, which they have been renovating since the early 1970's. They have two children, both of whom graduated from St. Olaf and took every class that their father taught. "I know we have instilled a love and understanding of different cultures in our children," said Gimse. The children have also traveled with them on many of their St. Olaf trips.

Gimse spent one year at St. Olaf in his youth, studying Philosophy and Art. He is an honorary member of the Class of 1958. Gimse graduated with a philosophy degree from Macalaster College in St. Paul. He then taught at a school in Canada, before returning to St. Olaf.

Gimse has created many sculptures, many of which have been exhibited on the St. Olaf campus. His piece Moses and the Mushroom Cloud is displayed in Buntrock Commons. He also did a sculpture for the Peace Prize Forum last year entitled Bearing the Burden of Peace.

One thing Gimse marvels at is the amount of change he has seen in his 31 years of teaching at St. Olaf. In 1970, the Art Department faculty consisted of four professors; now, now there are more than 15. "I never imagined we would have this many faculty members and art majors," said Gimse. "We've really outgrown Flaten." When the new Dittmann Center for Art and Dance opens next Fall, "I'm going to walk them to the new building but not go in. It's part of the deal, a clean start thing," said Gimse.

Gimse took his first Global Semester group in 1974. As the program has established itself over the years, things have changed. "The main difference is that we are a lot more connected to home now," said Gimse. Students in 1974 were only able to call home at Christmas, and even then the connection was shaky.

Now students are in much more constant contact with their friends and families at home through the Internet and much easier phone access. "Even when we were way out in the country they had Internet cafes," said Gimse. "It kind of decentralizes the group. It used to be if you had a problem you came to the group, now students talk to their friends and family at home. I don't know if that is good or bad." Another thing he noticed were the American fast food restaurants. In 1974, the group didn't see a McDonald's until they arrived in Hong Kong, and then it was the only one. Now they are in almost every country.

Gimse has taken more than 500 students on St. Olaf abroad trips. "They are all like my own children," he said.

While he is excited for retirement, he is sad to be leaving the classroom. "It's not like I'm being set free from something I don't like," said Gimse, continuing "I love teaching. The relationships I have with my students are very special to me."