44 and Counting
Walk into Chuck Neal’s office on the fourth floor of EJ Brown and you will find 44 years of grade books, multiple boxes of business cards with the various roles he has held, and much more memorabilia not just highlighting his time teaching at Alfred State College (ASC) but his time as a student.
A lifelong resident of Wellsville, Neal came to Alfred State to try accounting. “I got into the program and had some great professors and decided it was for me and I stuck it out. I don’t think I could have done accounting in the real world 100% of the time. I liked teaching it.”
In high school, Neal was on the wrestling, golf, and cross country teams. “When I got to Alfred the wrestling coach, Steve Babcock, tracked me down and I sought out the golf and bowling teams. I tried out and I made all three of those teams.”
Individually, Neal had the most success on the bowling team. He was runner-up in singles at the 1974 NJCAA Championship and was runner up in doubles at the 1973 NJCAA Championship.
In 1973, he was named MVP of the golf and the bowling teams and in 1974 he was named the Alfred State Senior Athlete of the Year.
Neal’s most memorable moments in athletics revolve around awards and traveling with his teammates. “Getting the Senior Athlete of the Year award was something I really cherished. Being named MVP for both bowling and golf and being part of a regional championship with the wrestling team were memorable. Those athletic trips were just awesome.”
His success on the court, mat, and lane led to his induction into the Alfred State Hall of Fame in 2001.
His first accounting professor, Tom Dunn, inspired Neal. “He was a good teacher and taught the subject exceptionally well. He encouraged me. I liked accounting, I was good at it, and it made sense to me.”
On top of his awards for his achievements in the athletic world, Neal was a Dean’s List student each semester, was inducted into the Sigma Tau Epsilon Honor Society, and was the recipient of the Paul B. Orvis Award for Academic Excellence for the School of Business Technologies in 1974.
I know this campus like the back of my hand and I cannot see myself doing anything else. It has been a great experience. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Neal graduated from the University of Buffalo and a visit to his former professors at Alfred State led to the start of his storied teaching career. “I came back to say hello to my professors and found out Professor Dunn had a bad back and was going on sabbatical. The chair of the department asked me to stick around and be an adjunct. I was 25 and I was teaching 18 to 20 years olds accounting for a year. Tom Dunn never came back and I never left.”
“I bleed Alfred State blue right now. I have been here so many years as a student and faculty and this is where I live.”
Over the last 44 years, Neal has held every academic title, served as a department chair, a dean, and associate vice president but he never stepped out of the classroom. “I always taught at least one class no matter my role on campus. I wanted the connection and relationships with students.”
Over the years, he has taught financial, managerial, intermediate, payroll, and tax accounting, as well as courses in Excel. “I have always wanted to teach the entering freshman class in financial accounting. I wanted to set the foundation, get the materials under the belt, and the students are anxious to learn. I have also taught a lot of tax accounting to the seniors. By that point, I knew the students and grades were not an issue. It was getting them the material and they appreciated learning.”
Neal was the Business Division Teacher of the Year in 1981-82 and was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2002.
“The most rewarding thing of my career is to have people talk about me as a teacher. It is heartwarming to hear. I remember being on vacation in Clearwater Beach having three girls track me down and recognize me as Professor Neal.”
“Honestly, I have never had an inkling to leave. I love the college environment. I have an allegiance to Alfred State and its done nothing but good things for me over all these years. I know this campus like the back of my hand, and I cannot see myself doing anything else. It has been a great experience. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Those 44 years of grade books full of names of students are the legacy of Neal – a true Pioneer!
Professor Neal would like to reconnect with his former students. Send him an email at nealcv@alfredstate.edu.