A Research Study on the Image of Humanics at Springfield College by Charles Weckwerth and Barbara Jensen (November 1984)
Description:
"A Research Study on the Image of Humanics at Springfield College for Baccalaureate Respondents from the Classes of 1916-1972" was completed by Charles F. Weckwerth and Barbara E. Jensen in November 1984. The research aimed to explore how different groups of Springfield College graduates interpreted "Humanics". Participants of this study graduated from the College between 1916-1972. Humanics has a special meaning in the history and philosophy of Springfield College. 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.
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