Dr. Barkman's Focus Group Notes (Fall - Winter 2010)

Item Information

Title:
Dr. Barkman's Focus Group Notes (Fall - Winter 2010)
Description:
This document has forty-three pages of notes taken by Springfield College faculty member Dr. Robert Barkman during December 2010. He was chosen to be the school’s Distinguished Professor of Humanics for the 2010-2011 academic year. In preparation for the spring faculty institute, Dr. Barkman hosted a series of focus groups with students and faculty. His notes from these focus groups are organized by session. Within the sessions, the notes are organized by questions, and under the questions are bullets with fragmented answers presumably verbally provided by students and faculty during the discussion. Some of the replies are highlighted in yellow. The different sessions are: no heading, new professors, psychology department, students, visual and performing arts with the chemistry and biology departments, social work department, social studies department, business office, allied health department, the physical assistant and rehabilitation faculty, exercise science department, school of human services, sports management, and physical education meeting.
Creator:
Barkman, Robert C.
Date:
2010
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
Distinguished Professor of Humanics Collection
Subjects:
Springfield College
Springfield College--Faculty
Barkman, Robert C.
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
43 Pages
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7911
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Notes:
Dr. Barkman began teaching at Springfield College in 1969 as a professor of education and biology. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wittenberg (1964), his master’s from the University of Cincinnati (1966), and his doctorate from the University of Cincinnati (1969). Humanics is a word that has a special meaning in the history and philosophy of Springfield College, as well as in the college’s motto of “Spirit, Mind, and Body.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines Humanics as “the subject or study of human affairs or relations, especially of the human element of a problem or situation as opposed to the mechanical.” In 1962, Dr. Glenn Olds, President of Springfield College at the time, began to wonder why this name was given to the intended philosophy of the college by Dr. Laurence Locke Doggett, Springfield College’s first full-time president. Olds acknowledged that the practices of the faculty were in large part consistent with the Humanics philosophy, but he believed that a more self-conscious application would improve chances of its continuity and survival. To ensure this, a Distinguished Professor of Humanics position was created at the college, first filled by Dr. Seth Arsenian from 1966-1969. The purpose of this position was to catalyze a renewal of consciousness in the philosophy. This was done by annually mandating the Distinguished Professor of Humanics to give a Humanics lecture on the definition of Humanics and what the concept means to them. Arsenian started this tradition in 1967 with his speech titled, “The Meaning of Humanics,” in which he described the concept as a set of ideas, values, and goals that make our college distinct from other colleges and make commitment and unity toward commonly sought goals possible.
Identifier:
Conversations highlighted Jan 11