Response to the Dean's Column: Mondrian and mitochondria: An interdisciplinary journey through academe
by Steven M. Specht ('82) Ph.D.

Like Dean Varhus, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" brought me to Oswego. It was the fall of 1997 and that popular song seemed to capture the nautical spirit of the shores of Lake Ontario. I was a biology major enrolled in general biology, calculus, college physics and, among other courses, Introduction to Art with Dr. Michael Fox. I don't know if I would have taken that course had it not fulfilled a general education requirement -- after all, as a science major I had a lot of "serious" work to do in the laboratories of the fortress Snygg. The art course was a great course though. While teaching at Cornell University last summer and browsing through the college store, I commented to a friend that the cover of an art book that we had seen was adorned with a Brancussi sculpture and a painting by Mondrian. She checked, and I was correct. I was thankful that I had been "forced" to take Dr. Fox's class.

Another course, which I doubt I would have taken had it not fulfilled another general education requirement, was philosophy with Dr. Christine Pierce. As a direct result of that course, I wrote a paper comparing the three types of "citizens" in Plato's Republic with Freud's three components of the human psyche, which to this day I consider to be one of my most original works.

I continued my collegiate journey at Oswego as a chemistry major for two years although I eventually graduated, magna cum laude, with a psychology degree and was the recipient of the William G. McGarvey award for outstanding senior in the department. I was able to integrate my chemistry, biology and psychology background in graduate school at Binghamton University in the interdisciplinary program in psychobiology.

Presently, I am an Associate Professor at Lebanon Valley College, a small private institution with a 130-year history of dedication to liberal arts education. In fact, the faculty was recently quite resistant to developing a new physical therapy program, as it was perceived as too vocational/professional for an institution dedicated to "liberal artistry." At Lebanon Valley College, I have the pleasure and honor to continue the tradition of liberal arts education and enjoy teaching a variety of courses which fulfill both major requirements and general education requirements across campus.

I have returned in recent summers to the shores of Lake Ontario to teach for the psychology department in Mahar Hall, enjoying the sunset shining on my students as we studied statistics. As I read Dr. Varhus' essay about the history of liberal arts education at Oswego, I was reminded of the roots of my commitment to the philosophy of a liberal arts and general education for my students. I can only hope that my students will enjoy general education and the liberal arts as much as I have enjoyed the journey from Oswego, to Oswego.

SPEAK OUT

If there are issues that you would like to see addressed in the Arts & Science Newsletter, or articles to which you would like to react, please feel free to address comments to:

Dr. M.F. Stuck
Assistant Dean, Arts & Science
601 Culkin Hall
SUNY Oswego
Oswego, NY 13126

or e-mail to: stuck@oswego.edu

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