New schools: Meet the Chair of the School of Humanities and Civic Engagement
by Ruby Poffinbarger - Staff Writer
Professor Robert Simmons is the chair of the School of Humanities and Civic Engagement and Professor of Classics here at Monmouth. Since 2014, he has passed on his dedication to the classical world to Monmouth students. “I am always thinking about what potential next steps are,” he said, “I’m not content to just offer classes that are familiar or to pursue programming that is comfortable, but instead always looking for what opportunities my research might offer students.” When asked why he wanted to become the Chair of the school, he stated his time as a leader made it a reasonable next step as the school goes through a transitional period. His time has helped him develop skills that he “hope[s] benefit others beyond the program.”
Photo from Monmouth College website
His answer to why he works to keep classics around was simple: “It still speaks to so many people, students continue to be thoroughly passionate…it holds a mirror up to contemporary life, …People can learn a huge amount about themselves and the world around them by studying the classical world without becoming embroiled in the arguments of the particular day.” His work in the classical world at Monmouth College thus far has led to advancement for the students and many instances of interdisciplinary interactions. Students, under his guidance and collaboration, have won research awards, presented at national conferences, and had the opportunity to better themselves in the world of classics. He also assisted in a study about the development of place funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, along with the English, history, and philosophy programs.
Simmons’ role as a school chair meant expanding out of the humanities into the world of civic engagement as well. Simmons said, “There are different emphases and different skill sets that are developed in political science versus the humanities, but it is similarly idealistic and altruistic approaches that guide people in their studies of both humanities and political science.” Although the distribution of programs was a point of confusion for some students after the initial summer announcement, each school chair has expressed excitement over the layout and encouraged students to keep an open mind.
Finally, his advice for students in the school of Humanities and Civic Engagement? “Don’t lose sight of the profound value of the study you are doing...[students] are learning how to live well-considered, thoughtful, meaningful, purposeful lives where they can feel good about approaches they are taking to the world, and they can be thoughtful about how their actions are impacting other people.”