Chris Richter
Professor of Communication Studies
Chris Richter joined the communication studies department at Hollins in 1995 and over the past 27 years, “Richter” (as he is affectionately called by his students) has taught, advised, challenged, and yes, fed hundreds of students.
He is known for his fierce defense of, and belief in, the discipline of communication studies. To his students, Richter embodies what a professor should be: inspiring, passionate, talented, and thoughtful. As one of his students noted, “My favorite class with Richter was our senior thesis course where we each got a chance to meet with him one-on-one to work through our challenges. He was so supportive and genuinely invested in each of our topics. I will always be thankful for what Richter has taught me.”
Richter offered a variety of engaging classes during his career that ranged from video studio processes to public communication and discourse. He creatively mixed rigor and entertainment with ease: he loved to paint a picture with a story or quick anecdote, and his multimedia PowerPoint presentations were envied for the way he could insert the perfect song, pop culture visual, and critical insight, whether he was discussing media law, communication technology, or even how to watch television. His PowerPoints were particularly meaningful to students throughout the pandemic, which required classes to be taught remotely. “During Covid-19, Professor Richter started and ended his PowerPoints with pictures of his cats, and included the line, ‘This Class Brought to You by Seven the Cat,’” a student recalled. “It was a little thing, but it helped me find something to look forward to in a really stressful time.” His attention to the needs of others was also appreciated by another student, who said, “My meetings with Professor Richter always ended with him saying, ‘Great to see you,’ which warmed my heart every time.”
Richter’s “amazing tzatziki recipe and his homegrown tomatoes” further endeared him to students, and one of them described him as “a professor with style—in his iconic earring!” A tribute would not be complete without mentioning the January Short Term trips to Greece through the years that continue to be the template for how to successfully take 15 to 20 college students abroad and ensure they not only learn a lot but have a lot of fun as well (and survive!).
The Greece trips were organized and led by Richter and his wife, Professor of Classical Studies Tina Salowey. Richter and Salowey met on her first day on campus in July 1996 when he helped her move into the apartment below him on Faculty Avenue. “That night,” she recalled, “my cat, Leo, mewled around the apartment all night and I was finally driven to let him out at about 4:30 in the morning. A huge storm moved in and I couldn’t find Leo, who was terrified of thunder and lightning. Distraught, I searched along Faculty Avenue for my cat and Chris helped me look. We walked and talked, and when I returned to my apartment, Leo was inside, safe and dry (I had left the window open for him), but Chris and I got to know one another. We have been together for 26 years!”
Among his peers both past and present, Richter is greatly valued. Professor of Economics Emeritus Juergen Fleck recalled, “He first stood out to me in our Division II (Social Sciences) meetings, where his thoughtful contributions reflected his genuine concern for his students, colleagues, and the Hollins community. I especially admired Chris’ willingness to speak up on important issues in a constructive and nonconfrontational way. This was not lost on other faculty members, who elected him repeatedly to serve on important committees. He has an extraordinary record of service to Hollins,” which included serving as department or division chair numerous times throughout his tenure.
Fleck added, “As a teacher and mentor, Chris wanted his students to become active citizens and lifelong learners. So, in his classes, he challenged them with collaborative work and experiential learning. The travel blog posts required of students during the popular Short Term trips to Greece are just one example. He also went out of his way to make students feel at home at Hollins. He and Tina, both great cooks, invited students to their house at the end of each semester to enjoy some home cooking, see the lovely mountains, and meet their cats.”
Richter is widely respected for his research that has spanned a variety of areas of communication studies. These include alternative media, early 1900s travel diaries, visual culture, and his current passion to grow his expertise on Byzantine to Modern Greek history, especially commemorative monuments of the 18th through 20th centuries. His insights on institutional matters that were close to his heart, such as the announcement in 2012 to relocate the student apartments to Faculty Avenue, were reasoned and thorough—even if you didn’t always agree with him. As one faculty member said, “He is feisty, kind, funny, and passionate about issues that are important to him. It may take him days to craft a response to an issue, conflict, or question, but you can be sure that his response is a thoughtful, in-depth exploration of all sides.”
Richter is embarking on a new chapter in life, but there is no doubt that he, as another faculty member stated, will “continue to find communication in all that he sees around him.” In the meantime, his retirement is leaving some very big shoes to fill. “Chris is a man of many talents,” Fleck said, while a student reflected, “We will miss his strong leadership and dedication to the discipline, the department, and the university. And his tzatziki. What will we do without you, Richter?”