Besides chairing the social work and gerontology department, Deb Jacobs is the director of the bachelor of social work program and co-director of the Millersville-Shippensburg Master of Social Work joint program. Currently she is the vice president of APSCUF-SU, the faculty union.

Since its inception, Deb has served on the Distance Education Advisory Committee. “I have been teaching using distance education for several years and am very passionate about making sure Shippensburg University uses online and distance education in ways that provide quality education to students, while not having a negative impact on the great educational community we have created here on campus.”

When was the last time a student really surprised you?

When someone called me ma’am. I am trapped in a 1970s time warp and that is what my mom is called, not me.

What technological development has done the most damage? Why?

Technology doesn’t damage people, the wrong use of technology does. Technology has saved lives and brought knowledge and information to people who lacked access due to various forms of discrimination. What I think?is wrong with the Internet and technology is the vast range in quality and accuracy of information you can find. I spend hours teaching students how to tell valid data and unbiased information from personal opinion or, worse yet, someone’s effort to distort the truth. Critical analysis of information on the Internet is vital if we are going to continue to use it as a learning tool, but often times, anything found online is considered “correct.” I have had to give a gazillion papers back to students for them to find real academic references to support their thesis.

Your flight crashed on a deserted island, what book likely to be on the plane would be your survival manual?

New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle Book. Not very original but it keeps you busy for hours and hours. Every time I look at it anew, I find things I didn’t see before and remember words I couldn’t find in my brain the last time I tried to sort through it. I might die of starvation pretty quickly, but at least I would keep my mind active!

Money or fame?

Give me a comfy home set in a small glen in the middle of the woods. If it takes money to buy it, I will take the money. I doubt fame would allow me to be left in peace in the woods.

Your favorite pastime as a child?

Pestering my big sister’s boyfriend. I had a huge crush on him.

What entertains you?

Horror movies with a comic twist — think Slither, recently, or Peter Jackson’s movie from the 80s, Dead Alive. The horror movies that go “Boo” and have your heart skip a beat are not for me, but the kind that would be considered camp in the 60s and 70s make me laugh.?

If you could be someone or something for a day, who/what would it be?

Barbara Bush. I would talk some sense into my son, if it was the last thing I did. For a less political response, I would be… Who could give us world peace in a day? That would be me.?

What do you read for pleasure?

In my work, there is a fine line between pleasure reading and reading for knowledge. I read a book called Flat Broke with Children for a class I was teaching. It was amazingly moving and when my students read it, we had the most wonderful discussion both online and in class. It brought home the realities of life for many people in our society today and how each day is a struggle despite the hard work one puts in.?

You’re a crayon, what color are you?

Periwinkle blue — my first choice in the 72-color box of Crayolas when I was a child.

What makes you nervous?

Early in my adult life I wasn’t going to have any children because I was nervous that the world would be a horrible place to raise children. Later in my adulthood, I decided it was worth a shot because I found a great man to be my child’s father. Now my daughter is a young teenager, I am nervous again. What will the world hold for her as she grows into womanhood??

A dessert is named for you—describe it.

It is chocolate, stuffed with chocolate, coated with chocolate, on a bed of chocolate.

Who inspires you the most? Why?

My daughter. She is growing up in a time that exposes her to enormous issues at a young age. She is inspiring in her spirit, her curiosity, her creativity. I am biased, but what parent isn’t? It is inspiring just to watch her grow. I don’t feel I will ever get old if I try to keep up with her. And after her, I will hope for a granddaughter to inspire me some more.