Professor Istvan Varkonyi, the Honors 2007 Professor of the Year, is known among his colleagues for his expertise in Central European language, literature and culture.

But among the students that he instructs he’s know for being a never-ending source of knowledge and an interesting teacher.

He is currently the director of the Intellectual Heritage program, a series of required literature courses that allows freshmen to tackle complex moral, historical and political issues.

“He was challenging and fair, and beloved by my class — we're intellectually smitten,” said Julietta Bekker, a senior Spanish major.

Degrees: B.A., Heidelberg College, University of Heidelberg, Germany; M.A., Washington University in St. Louis; Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis.

Classes created/most often taught at Temple: “German Expressionism,” “Literature and Culture of Central Europe”/Intellectual Heritage courses and German language courses.

The revolutionary thinker you most admire: Sigmund Freud.

Favorite quote: “He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” — Richard Henry Dann.

Something no one would guess about me: “I like to ballroom dance.”

The most important lesson I’ve learned from a student/my students: “To listen, and talk less.”

Book I most recently read and liked: Gustav Mahler: A Life in Crisis by Stuart Feder.

Worst habit as a professor: “Trying to over-explain everything.”

The thing I like most about Temple: “The undergraduate students. They are the heart and soul of the university.”

My favorite spot on campus: Founder’s Garden.

What advice would you give students?  “Take every opportunity to live and study in a different country.”

What students say about Varkonyi

“Dr. Varkonyi is a master of language, a brilliant thinker and intellect, and a spectacular teacher.  His knowledge and abilities are matched only by his enthusiasm in imparting ideas to his students.  His encouragement of my interest in various scholastic pursuits has meant a great deal to me.” — Brian Reece, senior, English

“He's as down-to-earth as you can get for a professor. The learning environment he creates in class is one that I feel at home in.  He is very passionate about his material, and to top it off, he's helped me learn more than I ever thought I would about topics that used to bore me to death.” — Vilinny Puth, sophomore, undeclared

“I dread speaking in class, but by mid-semester, I was fully taking part in class discussions.  Also, just today I passed him near the Bell Tower and he stopped to ask how I was doing and continued to have a nice conversation with me.   Professor Varkonyi is someone who really cares about his students.” — Marianne Curran, sophomore, civil engineering