Humanics Lecture - "Humanics: Two Pandemics - We Rise!" - Mary Ann Coughlin 2021
Description:
This is a video of a lecture titled "Humanics: Two Pandemics - We Rise!" which was presented on April 20, 2021 by the 2020-2021 Distinguished Professor of Humanics, Dr. Mary Ann Coughlin. President Mary Beth Cooper begins the video with an introduction, followed by an introduction of Dr. Coughlin by Provost Martha Potvin. Dr. Coughlin's presentation focuses on chronicling the events that unfolded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Dr. Coughlin's presentation, Provost Martha Potvin introduces the 2021-2022 Distinguished Professor of Humanics, Keith Bugbee, who addresses the audience. Further remarks from Martha Potvin conclude the video. The presentation was conducted with a live audience and via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.
