At Home in the Upper Valley » Shimer College

Shimer’s Zipcode is Irrelevant

ap — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:31:22 +0000

Repost from the blog Shimer College and the Future:
I appreciate Marcia’s posting on the question Not my Shimer? I once held the belief that this Shimer is not my Shimer. And what a turnaround I’ve had in my realization that for me, the continuing quest for discovery and discourse that Shimer students faculty staff and alums hold, is the basis for what my Shimer is. I’ve come to realize that my Shimer is not geographically place based.

What is important to a Shimer College liberal arts education are the foundations grounded in the curriculum, the mission, and vision. In these, we then learn and embrace critical inquiry in all that we do. That we take this shared education everywhere we roam, that we may meet someday and have the same or similar readings or experiences in our psyche, is for me what binds us all together as Shimerites.

I have recently connected with a few current and former Shimerites through a listserv, Facebook, and blogs. I see Shimer students staff and faculty being interested in the very same type of fun or thoughtful discussions that we also experienced in years past. Topics I have seen mentioned or discussed include Spreading Life Throughout the Cosmos, notification for a showing of the Japanese film House, and a heads up for the celebration of International Pillow Fight Day on Chicago’s Michigan Ave.

All of us who have stepped into the waters of a Shimer education have shared a journey I sometimes think as one of information gatherer, to knowledge seeker, and wisdom bearer. Wherever you are on your own journey now, I do believe that we come from the same place. That place is called Shimer College. Shimer’s zipcode is irrelevant.

Small Campus, Big Books

ap — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:11:01 +0000

Very nice article about my alma mater, Shimer College, in the NYT. “If there are too many people to fit around the table, the class is too big.”…”this is one of the smallest liberal arts colleges in the United States. It has no lecture halls, and not just because of the enrollment. There are no lectures. Books, not professors, are considered the teachers, and the path to learning relies on the Socratic method of discussion.”…If a student wants frat parties or football games, this is the wrong spot. For voracious readers, it could be paradise. Great-books colleges “are about the big questions of life,” says Ronald O. Champagne, interim president. “Our students learn that the questions are more important than the answers.”

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy…especially after visiting with 3 of my college buddies in the SF Bay area last week.

Shimer offers free tuition via essay contest

ap — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:51:58 +0000

Shimer College, always a college with a slightly different take on things, offered a contest of sorts for a totally free four year scholarship. This one was not awarded by test scores or grades. Anyone who sent in an application and came to Chicago for the essay competition was eligible to win.

Shimer College – One of 50 All-American Colleges

ap — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:35:41 +0000

Cited for its Great Books curriculum and Socratic method of teaching, Shimer College, my alma mater, has been named one of the top 50 colleges in All-American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals and People of Faith.