Pathfinder Jon Joy: Helping students find their path through 25 year teaching career

There would be many accomplishments to take pride in throughout a 25-year teaching career. For ACTC Professor of English and Writing, Jonathan Joy, the reward is found in his front row seat to watching his students learn and grow. 

“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to see students grow not only in their confidence and skill set, but in their understanding and appreciation of the written word,” Joy commented. “Writing can have both a professional and a personal impact on the students’ lives. It’s great to watch them make those discoveries.” 

As a professor, Joy has the opportunity every day to help students find their own path. 

He has spent the last 25 years teaching English and Theatre after obtaining a BFA in Theatre and an MA in English from Marshall University. Joy taught at Marshall, Mountwest Community and Technical College, and Shawnee State University before coming to ACTC 13 years ago.  

In addition to teaching, Joy has written over fifty plays and hundreds of short stories, most of which have been both published and produced. In 2021, Joy was awarded Best Columnist from the Kentucky Press Association. 

Joy’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Southern Theatre magazine and Insight for Playwrights magazine, and published by Brooklyn Publishers, Smith and Kraus, and the One Act Play Depot. His plays are also included in three theatre books: Millennium Monologues 2, Shakespeare Festivals Around the World, and 60 Seconds to Glory: 220 Monologues for Women.

"This is my dream job," Joy said. "I've wanted to teach since I was young and my dad would take me to campus. My father was a professor at Marshall University, and I saw where I wanted to be someday. When I found my field, I had my goal."