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Will McConnell - not your average professor

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Contributed by: Shannon Ashcraft on 5/11/2008

Most people pick a path and stick to it. Not Will McConnell. His lust for life has taken him across countries, careers, and lifestyles, bringing him new experiences and lifetimes of wisdom he continues to share with others.

McConnell, a 46-year-old academic writing professor at Woodbury University, is not your average professor. He's a musician, motorcycle rider and a little over two years ago he balanced his duties at Woodbury with his job of running the famous Hollywood night club The Knitting Factory.

McConnell sat down comfortably in the university's Writing Center Friday as he prepared himself to share what he called his "bad boy past."

As he waved hello to a student passing by, McConnell, also co-director of the Writing Center, explained how his hectic lifestyle really helped him develop a sense of self he knew he wouldn't have been able to any other way. His passion for the unknown, music, and the written word blended perfectly during his years of travel.

"I decided, consciously, very early in my life that I was going to be a writer, and that my idea of being a writer was to understand as much about human behavior and motivation as possible," McConnell said. "I think everything I've done is an attempt to build myself to that ability."

McConnell's nomadic lifestyle really began as a child. His father was a business consultant to a variety of chain stores, which required him and his family to move from place to place. By the time he was 18, he had lived in more than 20 different places.

After "settling down" in Canada and getting his doctorate in interdisciplinary theory, McConnell began teaching at McMaster University and the University of Canada in Toronto.

It was here that he was given an opportunity of a lifetime. He had applied for and won the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant of $100,000. It was at this time, however, that he had made the decision to quit academia.

"I went to academia for no other reason than to be a better writer and a better thinker," he said.

This decision sprouted from McConnell's never-ending desire to try something new. Will was ready for another "project." He had been writing and playing music since he was 5 years old and he felt it was now time to peruse this passion.

However, after two months of consideration and an overwhelming push of support from his colleague and dean of McMaster, Don Goelnicht, he accepted the award. The grant required him to do intense research in Huntington Beach at the William Andrews Library.

"Well, I did want to go to California," he said with a smirk.

Once he hit Los Angeles, McConnell made friends instantly, most of whom were actors. In fact, he eventually moved in to one of his "actor friends" apartments, building a loft in his oversized kitchen. Slowly he began to settle into the Hollywood scene. Once he finished his research, he knew he had found the perfect outlet for his musical creativity.

In a little less than one year, with the help of his actor friend's connections, he began running the Knitting Factory. During this same time, McConnell began teaching part time at Woodbury. It was this position that reintroduced him to and rekindled his passion for academia.

After his five years of managing the Knitting Factory, the chaotic lifestyle he chose really hit hard and he had to leave the club. Juggling his two diverse lifestyles began to get more difficult as the club scene became more of a burden rather than an outlet for creativity.

"I had to get away from the drugs," he said.

The stereotypical trio of drugs, sex, and rock and roll were so much of a part of McConnell's club experience and eventually, after the drug-induced deaths of two of his closest friends, he had to leave. He knew he couldn't move on to something new in his life if he didn't leave this downward spiral.

McConnell's renewed love for academia pulled him out of this dead end. Since then, he has taught numerous humanities courses to hundreds of students, all of whom learn far more from him than what is written in the course text. McConnell reminds students to not just write and read literature, but to analyze it in both an objective and subjective way.

Rachel Fischbein, a former student and current co-worker of McConnell's, had nothing but great things to say about her professional relationship and friendship with Will.

"Interacting with a professor, and more importantly, a person with such realistic wisdom is so refreshing," she said. "If I had to choose one thing I've learned from him, it is to open my eyes to new ways of thinking and experiencing."

McConnell is wise beyond his years. It was his young realism that lead him to this point in his life and without his adventurism, he wouldn't be the person he is today.

"I've always had a strong rudder," he said. "I've always made my own decisions and I would credit my ability to take on chaos to that sense of adventure that discovery brings. It's all been an adventure for me anyway. My ambition is adventure."

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