LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Tori Murden McClure is unique in the academic world. A self-described introvert, she’s gone to great lengths to push her limits in Earth’s most lonely and unforgiving arenas.

In 1989, Murden joined an expedition that, along with others, made them the first women and Americans to reach the South Pole by land.

“It was a long walk,” Murden put the 750-mile journey simply. “We were on skis, but it was a long walk.”

Setting her sights on a new adventure in 1998, she built a rowboat and set out to be the first woman to cross the Atlantic. She was met by three hurricanes.

“It’s more than 3,000 miles to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat, and you’re crossing the ocean at walking pace… The boat would just roll, tumble down the face of a wave.”

She described the events while sitting on her homemade craft, the American Pearl. She had constructed a crawlspace in the stern where she could sleep and escape the terror outside. She recounts that she deliberately placed her distress beacon – her sole lifeline – as far away as possible in the bow. She did it to keep her from giving up and calling for help in a storm-fueled panic. And there was panic.

“[During a storm] one wave dislocated my shoulder, and the next popped it back into place.”

During a period of calm between hurricanes, Murden eventually called it quits and signaled for help.

But, the next year, she went out again. And, with better weather, she finally completed her journey.

Spalding sent us grainy highlights of her successful journey. Seemingly moments after reaching dry land again, she spoke with reporters.

“I’ve thought about this moment so many times,” she exhaled with a smile in the video. “I’m sure I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning and be 1,000 miles offshore in a rowboat, because I know I’m dreaming.”

Leaving her oars behind, Murden is facing new challenges. The introvert is a decade into her presidency at Spalding University in her hometown of Louisville. She hopes to teach students that you don’t have to travel to the ends of the Earth to make a difference.

“We’ve got tough hills to climb in Kentucky. There aren’t continents to cross or oceans to row, but there are difficult challenges here that need care and attention. And it’s an honorable place to spend a career. “

Murden said, during our interview, that once staff found out she kept the Pearl in a storage area on campus, they kept her from entering the building until, one day, they surprised her with a fully decorated exhibit lauding her accomplishments – the Pearl sitting front and center on display.