Philosophy
We lost a beloved member of our community at Gettysburg yesterday. Charlie Zabrowski, a professor of classics, specifically Greek, passed away from lung cancer. Charlie was unique. He taught in his academic robe. He said whatever he was thinking whenever he thought it. Even if it was not something one usually said in the particular context and even if it was not at a time when one usually said it.
I found out of his death from a colleague in the presence of a retired colleague who had been at the college for many years. Reflecting on the loss, he commented, "There went our last eccentric."
That comment stayed with me. Can you be an eccentric in higher ed anymore? Has the whole academy become so managed, so rigorous, so professionalized that the one place where one could actually be extremely strange and be comfortable that way been lost? The image of education has become based on the customer service model. The tenure and promotion process now focuses so much on research and publication that it forces hires that are safe. Can there be eccentric professors anymore?
- Are Honorary Degrees Earned?
It was commencement weekend and like all other schools we were honoring people with honorary degrees. Karl Mattson, our longtime chaplain and founder of Gettysburg College's Center for Public Service was so honored. Barbara Ehrenreich was supposed...
- Hallowing Ground
On my way into work, I drive winding country roads that take me past the cemetery at Gettysburg. Along those roads, I am finding more and more makeshift memorials marking the places people have died in traffic accidents. Thinking about them, they seem...
- Life After Philosophical Academia
"What Do Philosophers Do?" Outside of academia, that is. by Rebecca J. Rosen July 8th, 2014 The Atlantic The romanticized version of what it's like to be a philosopher must be one of the most appealing careers possible: read great thinkers, think...
- Charlie Chan...old Time Radio
Continuing the Charlie Chan interest...here are a few old time radio episodes. Wikipedia... On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in different series on four networks (Blue, NBC, ABC, MBS) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan as...
- Numb3rs
I wrote this on January 19th, 2005... Commercial television network CBS has added a new program to its schedule where there is supposed to be a marriage between crime solutions and "mathematics". The program is called Numb3rs where an FBI agent enlists...
Philosophy
Are There Still Eccentrics in Academia?
We lost a beloved member of our community at Gettysburg yesterday. Charlie Zabrowski, a professor of classics, specifically Greek, passed away from lung cancer. Charlie was unique. He taught in his academic robe. He said whatever he was thinking whenever he thought it. Even if it was not something one usually said in the particular context and even if it was not at a time when one usually said it.
I found out of his death from a colleague in the presence of a retired colleague who had been at the college for many years. Reflecting on the loss, he commented, "There went our last eccentric."
That comment stayed with me. Can you be an eccentric in higher ed anymore? Has the whole academy become so managed, so rigorous, so professionalized that the one place where one could actually be extremely strange and be comfortable that way been lost? The image of education has become based on the customer service model. The tenure and promotion process now focuses so much on research and publication that it forces hires that are safe. Can there be eccentric professors anymore?
- Are Honorary Degrees Earned?
It was commencement weekend and like all other schools we were honoring people with honorary degrees. Karl Mattson, our longtime chaplain and founder of Gettysburg College's Center for Public Service was so honored. Barbara Ehrenreich was supposed...
- Hallowing Ground
On my way into work, I drive winding country roads that take me past the cemetery at Gettysburg. Along those roads, I am finding more and more makeshift memorials marking the places people have died in traffic accidents. Thinking about them, they seem...
- Life After Philosophical Academia
"What Do Philosophers Do?" Outside of academia, that is. by Rebecca J. Rosen July 8th, 2014 The Atlantic The romanticized version of what it's like to be a philosopher must be one of the most appealing careers possible: read great thinkers, think...
- Charlie Chan...old Time Radio
Continuing the Charlie Chan interest...here are a few old time radio episodes. Wikipedia... On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in different series on four networks (Blue, NBC, ABC, MBS) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan as...
- Numb3rs
I wrote this on January 19th, 2005... Commercial television network CBS has added a new program to its schedule where there is supposed to be a marriage between crime solutions and "mathematics". The program is called Numb3rs where an FBI agent enlists...