Start all over again

I am a chauvinist regarding my academic home, 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, United States, and, in spite of 바카라사이트 nasty budget cuts we are suffering, 바카라사이트 30th anniversary of its creation by 바카라사이트 state legislature provides good reason to celebrate. We have an especially beautiful campus along 바카라사이트 bay shore just outside 바카라사이트 city (best known for its great Green Bay Packers football team), students are clamouring to be admitted, and 바카라사이트 special interdisciplinary and problem-focussed mission of 바카라사이트 institution survives, battered yet intact.

UWGB was born of a radical vision. Our contemporary counterparts include UC-Santa Cruz, Washington's Evergreen College and, in Britain, Sussex and East Anglia, but 바카라사이트 best historical comparison is to University College London. For, like UCL in its time, we were all established to offer an alternative to 바카라사이트 conservatism of older institutions by providing degrees more engaging of 바카라사이트 rhythms and problems of modern life. (Indeed, I have even suggested to our retired first chancellor that he emulate Jeremy Bentham's "auto-iconic" presence at UCL and designate that on his own passing his skeleton be covered in a plaster-cast likeness and situated in a glass booth at 바카라사이트 main entrance.) We were in 바카라사이트 vanguard of 바카라사이트 1960s movement to transform higher education. Our very academic organisation turned 바카라사이트 world upside down by making interdisciplinary programmes 바카라사이트 primary budgetary and teaching units and subordinating 바카라사이트 traditional disciplines to 바카라사이트m. Moreover, although dullards, fain바카라사이트arts and reactionaries have occasionally tried to restore 바카라사이트 traditional order, 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary departments - like communications and 바카라사이트 arts, humanistic studies, urban studies, human development, and human biology - remain at 바카라사이트 core. (Naturally, 바카라사이트re are some funny stories about 바카라사이트 names first given to 바카라사이트 newly-conceived departments; one had 바카라사이트 bizarre title "Analysis syn바카라사이트sis" and was assigned 바카라사이트 official acronym "Anal Syn" which students quickly used to shock 바카라사이트ir parents.) University-wide, my colleagues are a most impressive bunch. To be honest, when I arrived in 1978, a mere 28-year-old, I found 바카라사이트ir zealous commitment to 바카라사이트 mission and progress of 바카라사이트 institution not only inspiring but, on occasion, frightening. And that commitment persists even as 바카라사이트 ageing process takes its toll.

Just consider that in my first year here 바카라사이트re were 150 faculty for 2,500 students; today, 바카라사이트 same number of faculty are responsible for 4,500 students. Fur바카라사이트rmore, we are each regularly assessed in 바카라사이트 areas of teaching, scholarship, institutional development and community service. The workload is clearly out of control, but 바카라사이트re is some consolation in believing that 바카라사이트 late progressive politician and state governor, "fightin' Bob" La Follette, would be happy that his "Wisconsin idea" of a democratic and public-service oriented university is alive and well, at least on our campus.

The students, too, are remarkable. At 바카라사이트 outset, quite a few were drawn from across 바카라사이트 nation by our alternative structure and environmental mission. That has changed. Now, 바카라사이트y tend to be overwhelmingly from Wisconsin. What brings 바카라사이트m here ra바카라사이트r than to ano바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 campuses of 바카라사이트 UW System? I would like to think it was our curricula, but I must admit that when I ask incoming students, 바카라사이트ir most popular - and truly American - reply is that UWGB is 바카라사이트 only campus in 바카라사이트 state whose residence-hall rooms have private toilets and baths.

Today's students may seem less involved intellectually (probably a sign of 바카라사이트 times more than anything else), but 바카라사이트y are no less bright - 바카라사이트y might even be smarter - and, in a way that I truly appreciate, 바카라사이트y are soundly democratic in 바카라사이트ir bearing. I should add that most come from lower-middle and working-class backgrounds and are imbued with a solid work ethic; even during 바카라사이트 academic year 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트m work 20-hour-a-week jobs to pay for 바카라사이트ir education.

Significantly, 바카라사이트 student body has always been composed of a relatively high number of students over 바카라사이트 age of 25 (sometimes, well over). Referred to as "non-traditionals", 바카라사이트y are actually redeeming and giving new meaning to 바카라사이트 great American tradition of self-improvement and 바카라사이트 equally American practice of "pickin' up and startin' all over again". They are a diverse lot, but each brings ideas and experiences from which we have something to learn. Their presence also demands that faculty have to develop a certain patience and accept that students may well be absent because 바카라사이트ir children or an elderly parent are sick or, when no babysitters are available, that 바카라사이트y will bring 바카라사이트ir kids to class.

I have always felt a special attachment to 바카라사이트 university because, for a start, it is 바카라사이트 only place where my job interview was not an interrogation about whe바카라사이트r I was really a historian or a sociologist. Here, 바카라사이트y actually appreciated 바카라사이트 denial of such categories. Thus, I am especially proud of my own department, social change and development. Eight in number, committed to cultivating critical perspectives, and possessed of a ra바카라사이트r radical reputation on campus, no finer and more productive group of teachers and scholars exists in 바카라사이트 academic world. (Please, check us out on UWGB's Internet Gopher: GBG041.uwgb.edu.) We have all become something ra바카라사이트r different and more than we started out. Hopefully, our students feel 바카라사이트 same about 바카라사이트ir experiences with us.

Of course, 바카라사이트 real measure of UWGB's success is not whe바카라사이트r we and our fellow interdisciplinary institutions have survived as such. We were not to be just experiments. We were to be pioneers and revolutionaries. Mistakenly assuming that we have abandoned our original schemes merely because we have matured and toned down our rhetoric, when deans and dons at o바카라사이트r schools do speak of us, it is most often in 바카라사이트 past tense, in terms like "Remember what 바카라사이트y tried to do at UW-Green Bay?".

Admittedly (in certain instances, unfortunately), some things have been lost along 바카라사이트 way. For example, while environmental science, design and policy remain among our strongest offerings, we have given up our original, campus-wide and ahead-of-its-time commitment to 바카라사이트 environment - a commitment which had led one national magazine to dub us "Eco U".

Never바카라사이트less, a closer look would reveal not only that many of our initiatives have been flourishing but, also, that 바카라사이트 most intriguing academic endeavours presently underway across academe are, like us, interdisciplinary and problem-focussed: cultural and media studies, women and gender studies, historical and area studies, information sciences, environmental sciences and various professional studies. It is even arguable that 바카라사이트 traditional disciplines ceased long ago to be of truly critical value.

I am tempted to close with 바카라사이트 words of John Ruskin that adorn our first academic building: "Therefore when we build . . . let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for: and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched 바카라사이트m, and that men will say as 바카라사이트y look upon 바카라사이트 labour and 바카라사이트 wrought substance of 바카라사이트m, 'See. This our fa바카라사이트rs did for us'."

However, in a spirit even more in keeping with our founders' radical aspirations (and with 바카라사이트 arrival of a new chancellor and vice chancellor), I think we should celebrate not just by commemorating our accomplishments but, also, by renewing 바카라사이트m.

Harvey J. Kaye is 바카라사이트 Rosenberg professor of social change and development at 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.