University Times

To the editor:

I  wasn’t able to attend Alec Stewart’s memorial service; I was covering a class for a sick colleague. (I debated this choice for a moment, then asked myself, “What would Doc do?” I decided to teach the class.)

As expected, the reports from the service had a central theme: what a kind, thoughtful, giving man he was. I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but here’s another side of Alec Stewart: I saw him angry. I saw him very angry.

Nothing upset Doc more than those who didn’t value undergraduate education. He was patient with the sometimes-awkward choices made by the students themselves, but he had little patience for faculty and/or administrators who saw undergraduate education as “lesser among equals.” While he would never trivialize the vital, redeeming work done by the multi-talented researchers at Pitt, he knew it was not our sole identity. Our essential mission is to educate the next generation to the best of our abilities; Doc Stewart’s recognition and passion for this mission led to the creation of the Honors College and the myriad accolades that followed its formation.

I’m sure this point was made repeatedly at Alec’s memorial service; I’m equally sure there was a lot of polite nodding by those in the audience. But it takes more than nodding and lip service to run a college. It takes an unwavering commitment to an earnest value: that we are here to serve, and we can be of no better service than as mentors, teachers and advisers to our undergraduate students. There is no more lasting or appropriate tribute to Alec Stewart than to honor this simple wish.

Mark Collins

Coordinator, Environmental Studies Program

Department of Geology and Planetary Science

(Editor’s note: G. Alec Stewart, dean of the University Honors College, died April 7. See obituary in the April 15 issue of the University Times.)

###

University Times letters policy

Letters should be submitted at least one week prior to publication. Persons criticized in a letter will receive a copy of the letter so that they may prepare a response. If no response is received, the letter will be published alone.

Letters can be sent by e-mail to njbrown@pitt.edu or by campus mail to 308 Bellefield Hall.

The University Times reserves the right to edit letters for clarity or length. Individuals are limited to two published letters per academic term. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication.