When he leaves the classroom on a cold day, Tyler Farrell wears a red-and-white-striped scarf his wife knitted for him years ago. The scarf has always been sort of his “calling card,” as he said, and draws many compliments.
Besides being known as the “man with the red scarf,” Farrell, an English professor, was nominated for teacher of the year, leads a study abroad trip to Ireland and published two books of poetry. He will take students to Ireland again this summer, and looks forward to the month-long adventure.
“He truly (knows) how to engage students that came from a wide variety of majors and provided me with what has been my best experience thus far at Marquette,” Kathleen Wolff, a senior in the College of Education, said. She studied abroad last summer, where the small but enthusiastic group of students met Mondays through Thursdays in a classroom, spending afternoons touring museums and doing walking tours around Ireland to learn more about the culture.
“(He) cultivat(ed) a sense of openness and excitement in the classroom that was completely transferable to the outside world and culture of Ireland itself,” Wolff said.
The Ireland trip also left a positive impact on Patrick O’Connell, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.
“Even after getting back from the trip, Dr. Farrell has made numerous efforts to our group to stay in touch and keep up with the students throughout the year,” O’Connell said. “I would absolutely recommend anyone who has any interest in taking a class with him to take the opportunity.”
Farrell’s love for Ireland doesn’t end with the study abroad trip.
Of Irish descent and a lover of Irish literature, Farrell’s favorites are James Joyce’s “Dubliners” and James Liddy’s selected poems. The professor studied with Liddy at UW-Milwaukee and credits the poet for his appreciation for poetry and Irish literature.
His own books cover a variety of topics. “Tethered to the Earth” is a book about living in northern Wisconsin and traveling through parts of Europe, and “The Land of Give and Take” is a collection focused more on religion, relationships, and what Farrell describes as “more mature poems that make you ponder aspects of life.”
While going abroad with Farrell has been a positive experience for many, he also leaves his mark on campus. Farrell is Marquette’s second highest rated professor on ratemyprofessor.com. Although Farrell rarely looks at those pages, he hears about the online praise from students.
“It makes me happy that I can get students to be excited about what I’m teaching,” Farrell said.
