1975

2004

Education and Employment
     I received a BA in Astronomy and Physics and an MA in Astronomy from UCLA, and was working on a doctoral dissertation on the distribution of galaxies in the Universe when I took a position as Long Beach City College's (at that time sole) astronomy instructor, in June of 1970. I have been at LBCC ever since, teaching on a full-time basis (and for many years, carrying nearly a double load to accommodate increasing enrollment) for thirty-nine years. I retired from full-time teaching in May 2009, but expect to continue to teach, albeit on a considerably reduced basis, for many years to come.

A Minor Note Concerning Address
     Once I discovered how much I preferred teaching to research I abandoned my doctoral research, so although it is appropriate to call me "Professor Seligman", "Doctor Seligman" is incorrect.

Astronomical Activities
     I maintain a web site for my students at cseligman.com (also accessible as courtneyseligman.com). Although part of the site is devoted to my classes, there is a considerable amount of material, gradually being organized into an Astronomy eText, which is of more general interest (as evidenced by the fact that it receives more than a thousand visitors a day).
     I hold Friday evening Astronomy Open Houses about once a month during the Spring and Fall semesters. If the weather cooperates, there is a telescope viewing session on the roof of the D building, following a planetarium presentation in D326. If it is cloudy or raining, I still hold the planetarium presentation, but do not have a telescope viewing session.

Avocations
     My current interests include reading, playing the piano, and writing. In the late 1970's and early 80's, I was very involved with American-style ballroom dancing. It was through dancing that I met my wife -- a very nice bonus for what was already a very pleasurable avocation -- and although we haven't danced competitively for many years, we still enjoy an occasional turn around the floor.

Posing with friends on a hike to the top of Mount Silliman (around 1965). I used to love hiking, and especially enjoyed body-sledding down one of the snowfields surrounding the mountain, on the way back; but after getting sun poisoning on this trip, I began to confine my walking to twilight and night-time hours.