<p>I heard that John Cleese (of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame) has been a professor at Cornell for the past 6 or 7 years. He is a professor-at-large, meaning that he gives public lectures on campus on a wide variety of interesting topics. Apparently, he's very brilliant; he has a law degree from Cambridge. I think it would be cool to have someone that famous on campus long-term. Is this uncommon? What other celebrities have college or university appointments?</p>
<p>off the top of my head:
-wally lamb teaches at uconn, as does the professor who 'dead poets society' was based on.
- cornel west, alan dershowitz, al franken at harvard
-michael dukakis and al gore at UCLA
-barak obama at u chicago
-marty seligman (a very famous psychologist) at penn
-toni morrison at princeton
-madeline albright at georgetown</p>
<p>Dr. Ruth taught human sexuality at Columbia and Yale.</p>
<p>That's a good list, but other than Al Franken, it's mostly ex-politicians and well-known scholars. I was thinking of entertainment celebrities from films, music, television, sports....the kind of people who, if you saw walking on the streets of New York or LA, you would want their autograph.</p>
<p>andrew wiles is the head of the math department at princeton if I'm not mistaken</p>
<p>o oops didn't read the last post...sorry</p>
<p>He is a professor-at-large at Cornell, although I'm unsure how often you can find him there. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.</p>
<p>Some campuses have celebrity professors. When they do, often they are famous to intellectuals, professors, or academics within a field moreso than society as a whole. Judith Butler and John Searle wouldn't do much for most people, but they are academic celebrities to many even outside their fields. Also, politicians- former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich wouldn't do much for most, but <em>shrug</em>. Many professors end up in the cabinet of presidents from econ departments, poli sci departments, and law schools at particular schools depending on who is elected.</p>
<p>Elie Weisel is a professor at Boston University</p>
<p>It would surprise me if some famous directors/filmmakers/actors did not have professional appointments at USC or NYU, but I don't know any off hand because I don't go to either.</p>
<p>Jared Diamond, UCLA</p>
<p>Bard College tends to attract literary greats. Toni Morrison formerly taught there, and Chinua Achebe and John Ashbury currently do.</p>
<p>Cornel West had a parting of ways (i.e. fired) with Harvard and now teaches at Princeton.</p>
<p>Maya Angelou teaches at Wake Forest :)</p>
<p>Isn't Maya Angelou a professor at some school too?</p>
<p>Edit: Thanks willmingtonwave =p</p>
<p>That was weird wannabazn88... :)</p>
<p>for all the girl readers out there, sarah dessen teaches at UNC-chapel hill</p>
<p>Georgetown is full of former top political, military and intelligence people.</p>
<p>ok correction sarah dessen does not teach at UNC, as far as i know, but she does live in chapel hill and both of her parents were professors, sorry for the confusion</p>
<p>Jimmy Carter - Emory</p>