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Raymond Addabbo, PhD

A calculus and physics teacher with a love of historical biography, jazz and percussion, Vaughn College professor Raymond Addabbo never wearies of learning, or teaching.

"I think what (Sir Isaac) Newton did was really an incredible intellectual achievement," Dr. Addabbo says of the influential English physicist and mathematician.

"Even after all these years I haven't gotten tired of teaching it."

More than two decades after arriving at what was the Academy of Aeronautics in 1984, Dr. Addabbo is still motivated by communicating the lessons of Newton to students in his five classes.

In addition to calculus and physics, Dr. Addabbo teaches differential equations, MATLAB (a computer programming class) and linear algebra. That last course was introduced in 2010, and Dr. Addabbo couldn't be happier with the nine students taking it in the fall semester.

"It's a new course, and students are taking it because they want to learn more about math," Dr. Addabbo says. "It really says a lot about our students because they simply want to learn."

Indeed, it is that eagerness to learn and willingness to sacrifice that makes Vaughn College students unique, according to Dr. Addabbo.

"I really like the students here," Dr. Addabbo says. "I appreciate how hard they work; that they juggle a lot of classes, work and family life. I've always felt the students here were very sincere."

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