Teaching at Rochester Today

ROCHESTER REVIEW 4 The Honors Program 7 The Artist-Teacher at Eastman 8 The College Teacher: Two Views 10 New at Rochester: The Creative Arts Workshop 12 Undergraduate Education: Where the Action is Teaching CLASSNOTES SECTION 15 The Role of a Graduate School in a University -J. Douglas Brown 18 The Rewards of Medicine at Rochester, -Lawrence A. Kohn, M.D. 21 Life Along the Thames as at any university, cannot be described -John Timothy Londergan, '65 in a few phrases-or a few pages. This issue 24 University News of the Review, therefore, does not pretend 25 Re:VIEWpoints to report in depth the complex and changing story of teaching at Rochester today. Rather, it presents some highlights of that story-the Honors Program, the new Creative Arts Workshop, one of the Eastman School's artist-teachers at work SPRING 1966 along with a taped conversation on undergraduate teaching, and some thoughts on graduate education (by a distinguished trustee) , on medicine as a career (by one of the Medical School's great teachers), and on teaching and sundry matters at ROCHESTER REVIEW, VOLUME XXVIII, NUMBER 3, Spring, 1966. Editor Oxford (by a current Rhodes Scholar from Judith E. Brown; Art Director-Robert S. Topor; Production Manager Barbara B. Ames; Classnotes Editor-Patricia Coppini; Publications the DR's Class of '65) . Committee of the Alumni Federation: Diane Morrell Jenkins, '58 (Chair man); Dr. Norman J. Ashenburg, '38, '40GM, '51M (ex officio); David A. Berger, '35E, '39GE; Allen M. Brewer, '40; Ronald C. Heidenreich, '48U; Robert W. Maher, '37; Helen S. Rockwell, '37; Helen H. Taylor, '32N; Robert J. Scrimgeour, '52 (ex officio). Published by the University of Rochester four times a year in Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, and mailed without charge to all alumni. Editorial office: 107 Administration Bldg., Rochester, N. Y. 14627. Second class postage paid at Rochester, N. Y. Illustration credits: Photographs-Linn Duncan, Don Eddy, Wally Forman, Rosemary Kendrick, Jim Laragy; cartoons-Dave Rusch. 3 " It's the closest thing to an ideal college education that I've " .. .in many ways a more valuable educational experience " ... my best educational experience at either undergraduate or " ... the single most exciting part of the Arts College ...and a The above comments: those of a grad a rigorous examination given by out cent said that, given the opportunity, uate student, a government official, a standing scholars from outside the they would enter the Program again. housewife, and a college instructor. University. If he passes both oral and Nearly 97 per cent rated the seminar Their topic: the University's Hon written parts of the examination-and system a valuable experience. ors Program-one of the oldest such the overwhelming majority of Honors Better than four out of five termed programs in the country, and, recently, students do pass-he is graduated with the Program "broadening." the subject of a survey of the Pro Honors, High Honors, or Highest Only the use of outside examiners gram's alumni, conducted by Charles Honors, depending on the examiners' drew a significant minority dissent. R. Dalton of the University's Office of appraisal of his performance. But even on this point, nearly three Institutional Research. Theoretically at least, the Honors quarters of the respondents expressed Established a quarter-century ago, Program has much to commend it. approval of the present system. Rochester's Honors Program is de But, with its emphasis on small-group Some typical comments: signed to provide promising under instruction (the maximum size of Hon An attorney-"It enabled me to do a graduates with special opportunities ors seminars is 10 students) and with great deal more of reading, writing, for highly individualized education. It its need for top-calibre faculty, the talking, and thinking-the four essen endeavors to do so through small Program is expensive to operate. tials-than I would otherwise." group seminars, through emphasis on Moreover, Honors work is rigorous; A university vice president-"(It) independent student research and writ it places unusually heavy demands on fostered habits of independent study, ing, and through the development of teacher and student alike. Thus, the critical thinking, and ability to write close faculty-student relationships. Program's 25-year history has been through constant practice." Structurally, the Honors Program punctuated with the question: Is it A businessman-"It provided a differs from the customary curriculum worth it? meaningful interchange between pro in several ways. Instead of regular To find out, the University recently fessors and students and enabled stu classes, the Honors student attends surveyed a highly qualified group: the dents to develop their own reasoning small, informal seminars-or engages 329 alumni who have taken part in abilities under guidance." in individual research-in which he is the Program since its inception. A librarian-"After more than freed from the prescribed assignments, The verdict of this blue-ribbon twelve years, I look back upon the the quizzes, and the more formalized panel: overwhelming approval of the Honors Program as a unique experi instruction of regular classes. In the Program's purposes, methods, and re ence not matched during my graduate spring of his senior year, after com sults. For example: studies. Led by the University's most pleting at least two years and four to Of the 268 respondents to the Uni distinguished faculty members, com eight Honors seminars, he undergoes versity's questionnaire, over 90 per posed of small groups of students and 4 tionally propItIOus environment for observed or heard of " some of the most important processes and reactions in education," he says. "These include such aspects as inde pendent research, dialectic, pursuit of a subject beyond a particular assign than several graduate seminars" ment, immediate criticism, the sharp ening and focusing of ideas, frequent opportunities to articulate these ideas both orally and in papers, interaction between minds, and a chance for stu dents and teachers to become ac graduate level" quainted in ways that the classroom seldom permits." In Hinman's view, the seminar sys tem "at least, in the ideal, deempha sizes grading and evaluation, or at any hell of a lot of fun" rate, shifts them to a different sphere especially if the system is accompanied by the use of outside examiners, as in our Honors Program. "For instance, in a seminar, it's dif ficult to work for a grade alone, to often held in delightfully intimate sur half of all the women are pursuing avoid working toward the truth, be roundings, the seminars provided ideal full-time professional careers (the cause the members of a seminar conditions for learning and exchang largest number are secondary school teacher and student working as col ing ideas. Pride in scholarship was en teachers) . leagues-define and re-define objec couraged since papers were read aloud; Eleven Honors graduates are au tives, compel standards, and excoriate the desire to produce for the common thors of books and 46 have published shallowness, glibness, and shoddiness. good was great; the ability to function articles in magazines or journals. "As a result, the ideal seminar may in a conversational atmosphere was provide a model of a community of nurtured." *** scholars in which all members have A surgeon-"The facts I learned in To Professor Robert Hinman, di the same end and the same passion, the the classroom or seminar were insig rector of the Honors Program, the principal differences among them be nificant to me compared with the op unique value of the Program is its role ing amount and kinds of experience, portunity to develop a method of learn as "a collegium of the unusually ma not degree of commitment." ing-of seeking knowledge without ture and independent-a community having it handed to me by a lecturer within the larger campus community." to memorize and give back at the next Viewed as such, he points out, hourly quiz." "Honors work is not simply harder The survey also revealed some per work, or more work-though Honors tinent findings on the careers of Hon students are expected to perform at a ors Program graduates. A few high high level and are acclaimed for doing lights: so. It is not primarily preparation for More than 9 out of 10 of the men graduate school-though students in and 8 out of 10 of the women who graduate school have frequently ex participated in the Honors Program pressed gratitude for their experience over the past quarter-century have in the Honors Program." continued their education. The distinctive feature of the Pro College teaching has attracted the gram, Hinman believes, is "the oppor largest percentage of men (24 per tunity to participate in seminars, or, in cent), followed by law (15 per cent). fields such as biology, the equivalent Nearly half of the 120 women re of seminars: individual, creative re sponding list themselves as full-time search supervised by a faculty member. housewives; nevertheless, more than "The seminar provides an excep- 5 To facilitate the development of a ments have been made in recent years. such courses understandably has "community within a community," Originally the Program was open only caused some River Campus depart Rochester's Honors students have their to juniors and seniors; since 1964 it ments to hesitate. This, in turn, has own Common Room-a large, pleasant has admitted exceptionally qualified kept many students from entering meetingplace designed to provide, in sophomores as well. And, over the Honors work-both because of lack of Hinman's words, "an island of peace past several years, the size and scope available faculty and because the Hon and sociability." In the Common of the Program have been broadened.

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