A good professor doesn’t just teach.

A good professor inspires students to push themselves farther than they believe they can go. They help students every step along the way, and they lift them up when needed, and they hold students accountable when needed.

Dr. Barbara Broadbear was one of these good professors. Frequently described as stubborn, she was one of those professors who wouldn’t stop encouraging her students until they succeeded.

Seniors Ava Armstrong and Josslyn Mose got to witness this stubbornness firsthand– but also the encouragement.

Mose transferred to Millikin last fall, and Dr. Broadbear was one of the first Millikin faculty she met.

“I was a little intimidated,” Mose said. “I didn’t have her as a teacher until last spring, and as we went through the semester we got extremely close. I learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about us. She definitely became the person we could go to about anything.”

Right away, Josslyn knew that Dr. Broadbear wasn’t just another teacher, but a role model that would make a lasting impact in her academic and personal lives.

“She was not just one of those teachers that saw you as a student,” she said. “She saw you as an actual person and wanted to get to know you. She wanted you to succeed and wanted you to understand the material.”

Armstrong was also quick to learn that Dr. Broadbear was no ordinary professor.

“She’d give me a hug,” Armstrong said. “She asked how my weekend was. In two years I went from being intimidated by her to being someone I could just ask anything about.”

The pair would often visit with Dr. Broadbear, even if she was busy.

“Ava and I would always make sure, at least once a week, that we would go into her office and just chat with her,” Mose said. “We would walk in and yap her ear off, and she was comfortable enough around us to tell us when to get out. She was one of those people that we could just go to about anything.”

Mose and Armstrong found out about Dr. Broadbear’s diagnosis last spring, but they admire how Dr. Broadbear continued to remain consistent in simply being present.

“We found out about her diagnosis at the end of last spring semester,” Mose said. “Looking at her, you would never know anything was wrong at that point. Summer was pretty rough for her, and then we had her again in the fall. In October and September, things were pretty good with her. Everything was manageable.”

However, as the semester continued, Dr. Broadbear started to miss class because of her battle.

“She started missing class a little bit more, and if you know her, she does not cancel class ever,” Mose said. “She was still showing up, doing her best, and until the last month before she left, she was coming to school every day. It was very clear at that point that she did not feel good and that she was in pain, but she’s such a stubborn person. She wanted to be there.”

As Dr. Broadbear’s condition worsened, her husband Jim had to step in and assist where he could.

“Her husband Jim actually brought her to school every day,” Mose said. “Ava and I actually got pretty close to him as well. It was heartwarming how caring he was with her. He told me one day that Ava and I were like the daughters they never had.”

Dr. Broadbear was clearly a parental figure in Mose and Armstrong’s lives, and she was the first person that Mose went to when she was accepted into Physical Therapy (PT) school.

“I was really stressed out about it, and she just always reassured me,” Mose said. “She was the first person I told [when I got accepted], and I remember that morning that we had class, and I got there and immediately sprinted into her office to tell her that I got in. I remember her giving me the biggest hug and telling me how proud of me she was.”

After hearing of Dr. Broadbear’s passing, Mose and Armstrong created shirts in memory of their late professor. 

“We have the exercise science logo on the front, and on the back it says, ‘In loving memory of Dr. Broadbear,” Mose said.

Not only will these shirts help keep Dr. Broadbear’s memory alive, but they will also help to make an impact in Millikin’s Exercise Science community.

“A portion of the sales will go to her scholarship,” Armstrong said.

The cutoff to purchase the shirts is March 31st. A link to the shirts will be provided at the bottom of the page.

Whenever Mose and Armstrong remember Dr. Broadbear, they won’t remember a professor who lost a battle to cancer. They will remember a professor who went to bat on their behalf whenever needed. They will remember a friend and a mentor.

“I wish everyone had the chance to have her as a teacher,” Armstrong said. “Unless you actually experience it, you don’t fully understand it. She was very intimidating at first, but once she knows you, she flips a switch. She was like your new mom.”

Link to fundraiser: https://www.petalsgiftshop.com/products/dr-broadbear-fundraiser

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