Veritas, Vol. 31, No. 12, March 15, 1991

              For the Faculty and Staff of the University of Miami
March 15, 1991 Volume 31 Number 12
program will draw on students’
New liberal arts
A new master's degree program in liberal studies, which offers students a broad-based intellectual experience with their own abilities, background, and interests in mind, will be offered by the College of Arts and Sciences beginning in the fall.
In contrast to traditional graduate programs, this degree spans many disciplines. It offers classes taught or team-taught by full-time faculty members in the Departments of Art and Art History,
English, History, Psychology, and Biology, among others who may be called upon.
Students will put together their own courses of study with the
counseling of an adviser from the particular area in which they are interested. The 30-credit program requires three core courses — “Aspects of Western Thought,” “Theories of Human Nature,” and “Concepts of the Physical Universe” — to provide students with a broad understanding and detailed knowledge of Western civilization and prepare them for further study.
“We are looking for people who have gone on to other fields but are interested in coming back to study in liberal arts areas,” says Eugene Clasby, program director and English professor. “People who want to read, think, and
become involved in matters of cultural and historical interest just for the intellectual discipline and adventure of it.”
Clasby points to several universities, including Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Dartmouth, where this type of program has proved successful.
“We’re not creating a whole new thing,” he says, “but following a model that’s brought mature people back to universities for a program in which they have an interest.”
Clasby’s own interest in the program stems from his experience teaching Shakespeare to students in evening classes.
experience
“I was impressed by their seriousness, life experience, and ability to read and comprehend literature and place it in some context with other knowledge and learning,” says Clasby. “Their desire to learn is extraordinary.”
The School of Continuing Studies, which is working with the College of Arts and Sciences in coordinating and promoting the program, is hosting an information forum on March 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at Allen Hall, for anyone interested in learning more about the program.
Center’s “Decade of Triumph” is ceremoniously launched
More than 200 people, including celebrity Steve Allen and Channel 7’s Bob Soper, attended the February 13 kick-off of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Decade of Triumph campaign—a ten-year drive to raise $20 million for research, distinguished scholars, equipment, and facilities.
Ouest of honor Steve Allen gave his regrets for riot bringing his wife, Jayne Meadows, as planned (“she had a sudden attack of employment,” he said). The Allens have dedicated their support to institutions that provide cancer treatment and research since Steve Allen was treated for colon cancer.
President Edward T. Foote II and Bernard J. Fogel, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, spoke at the event, which was hosted by weatherman Bob Soper and attended by board members of the center’s Papanicolaou Cancer Research Foundation, support
group members, faculty and staff, and the general public.
The center, established in 1973 and named in 1989 to reflect the generous gift of the Harcourt M. and Virginia Sylvester Foundation, is one of only 20 federally designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States and the only such institution in Florida. The National Cancer Institute awards the “comprehensive” designation only to those centers that treat cancer; conduct clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological cancer research; and offer community outreach programs.
Construction of the center’s four-story, 117,500-square-foot outpatient clinic, made possible through the Sylvester Foundation, is scheduled for completion in fall 1991-
Campaign funds will accelerate the pace of the center’s research, transforming scientific advances into new forms of treatment, control, and prevention.