O this learning, what a thing it is!
---Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew
Letter from the Dean
Dear Friends:
 For
many of us, the search for what really matters intensified after
September 11. What was ordinary now appeared trivial. Personal
relationships were reconsidered; once-acceptable jobs seemed meaningless;
and frivolous news stories were elbowed aside, replaced by weighty
issues of life and death. At Ithaca College we sought to help
ourselves and our students make meaning of September 11 and its
aftermath.
Please read the e-mail from David G. Brown '91 to Professor Kevin
Murphy. Brown wrote this past fall to thank Professor Murphy "for
your instruction and inspiration more than 10 years ago. . . .
Your tutelage has not only inspired me, it has also affected my
soldiers." Brown explains how poetry has enriched his life and
the lives of the troops he led in the army. Articulate, erudite,
inspirational, David Brown's message conveys a most meaningful
element of education in the School of Humanities and Sciences
--- the relationship between student and teacher in that never-ending
quest for what really matters. Not surprisingly, many of the other
stories in the newsletter touch as well on student-faculty connections.
In these pages, students, faculty, and alumni have generously
offered commentary on events at the College past and present and
have shared how they find meaning in their lives and work.
Your school is flourishing. Our reputation continues to grow,
applications are at an all-time high, student quality is impressive,
and generous supporters are strengthening our school and College.
When longtime friend and faculty member Bob Ryan died last year,
he left a substantial bequest --- well over half a million dollars
--- to the school. We have used that money to establish endowed
scholarships for history majors in Bob's name, and, most exciting,
we have created the Robert Ryan Professor in the Humanities to
honor Bob and his legacy. Associate professor Jonathan Gil Harris,
in the Department of English, has been named the first Ryan professor.
Your financial support of the School of Humanities and Sciences
will help us continue to strengthen our programs and create new
occasions for students and faculty to work together on research
projects. (An envelope is enclosed for your convenience.)
I appreciate this opportunity to share these thoughts with you,
and I solicit your thoughts as well. I suspect that, like David
Brown, your time at Ithaca has had a profound effect on what really
matters to you, and I urge you to share your reflections. My e-mail
address is herlich@ithaca.edu and I am eager to hear from you.
Howard S. Erlich
Dean
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