Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Full name: William G. Hervey.
Current Residence: Macon.
Originally From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Family: “I have three great kids here in Georgia and lots of relatives in the New York City area.”
Job Title: Associate professor of health services administration.
Degrees: Bachelor of science in biology from Hofstra University, juris doctor from St. John's University in New York and an LL.M (master of laws) degree in health law from Saint Louis University.
Year he joined the Macon State faculty: 2000.
Some of his teaching career highlights are … “Having graduates return after a few years and seeing how they've used their education to better their lives; presenting at the World AIDS Conference in Bangkok; and working on a number of projects with the Centers for Disease Control.”
He enjoys teaching at Macon State because … “The high quality of people on campus. Macon State has been a welcoming place for me both professionally and personally. Also, being part of the school's rapid growth and evolution over the past few years has been a great experience.”
His favorite course to teach is … “Health law and ethics. Besides the everyday practical aspects of dealing with lawsuits and contracts, it’s also about how society tries to keep itself balanced despite changes in beliefs, technology, etc. Universal health care, medical malpractice, human experimentation, genetic discrimination, euthanasia, HIV/AIDS and many other topics provide great opportunities for debate and, of course, essay questions. ”
One thing people don’t know about Macon State is … “The cafeteria used to be in the Library building, and it was usually empty. The Student Life Center has dramatically changed the culture of this campus.”
One thing people don’t know about him is … “In my former life practicing law, I represented, besides health care companies, the Cabbage Patch Kids, Batman, Flintstone Vitamins (I know why there is no Betty!) and Ted Turner.”
In his spare time he likes to … “Travel, cook, play with my kids and float in my pool.”
The one person he’d most like to meet is … “Benjamin Franklin. He was a combination scientist, political theorist, satirist and, in his personal life, a very colorful character. He was very practical yet extremely curious. It would be interesting to hear his thoughts on our current society. ”
If he wasn’t a college professor he would be … “Involved some way with public health law because it is an absolutely fascinating area of study. It’s always changing and full of difficult moral issues. I’d also like to play third base for my N.Y. Mets, but they seem to be set there for the immediate future.”