Students may see three new faces around campus. Dr. Rachel Schley, Christopher Dahlvig and Dr. Rachel Norman opened up about their history and interest in small colleges.

Dahlvig of the business department comes to Linfield with fresh insights into accounting to share with the college.

He worked for a nonprofit sector for almost 25 years before bringing his expertise to Linfield. While employed there, he acquired the teaching experience that inspired him to become a professor.

Dahlvig’s story begins in Mosinee, Wisconsin—a town with a population of only 2,000 people when he lived there. He graduated high school in the top 10 percent of his class, which was 156 students.

Dahlvig graduated from Whitworth University degree in accounting. He had been working in accounting for years before he graduated and hopes all students can have that same experience.

When interviewing for his Linfield job, the business department’s faculty, as well as a few others, met with Dahlvig.

“I called my wife and said, ‘Of all the people in the world I would love to call my colleagues and friends, I think I just met all of them today.’” Dahlvig said.

On ideal weekends, he is kept busy listening to podcasts, hiking, watching football and taking trips to the coast. Dahlvig’s love for podcasts comes from a desire to stay informed.

English professor and alumna of Linfield, Dr. Rachel Norman, returns to teach after receiving her doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She believes Linfield has changed for the better since she attended ten years ago.

“Linfield is shifting the way it approaches diversity and I think that is a very good thing,” she said.

The professors from her undergraduate experience inspired Norman to become a professor. One of her professors convinced her to study abroad for a year in Spain, which was a highlight of her college experience.

As an undergraduate, Norman initially struggled to acclimate to the college life, but after a year of studying abroad in Spain, she found Linfield to be a perfect fit for her. It helped her find a close-knit group of friends and find self-awareness.

Because of how impactful her year in Spain was, Norman advocates for a full year of studying abroad to students.

“In the first semester abroad, you can stay in tourist mode and you really can’t do that if you spend the whole year there,” she said.

Norman loves traveling and has been to over 35 countries. However, her favorite was Indonesia because she stayed on a less populated island where she got to truly experience the culture without the tourist agenda.

Norman is learning to raise chickens with her husband after a colleague dropped four off at her house with little warning.

Despite the surprise, she has taken the feathered new members into her family with enthusiasm.