C of I set for annual liberal arts lecture

2011. 04. 05.

The College of Idaho campus community will gather for the annual liberal arts lecture at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, inside Langroise Recital Hall. This year's lecture, “Students Achieving the Professional: Learning to Fly,” will be given by Dora Gallegos, an instructor of geology and geography and director of the Center for Experiential Learning. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

“Professionalism is one of the core elements of our new PEAK curriculum,” said Gallegos, who coordinates the annual Coyote Connections professional networking program. “I believe we do prepare students for the professional world, and I want to use the stories and experiences of our students to tell that story.”

At the heart of Gallegos' lecture is a philosophy introduced in 1869 by former Harvard College President Charles William Eliot. In his inaugural address, Eliot said “Poetry and philosophy and science do indeed conspire to promote the material welfare of mankind; but science no more than poetry finds its best warrant in its utility.”

“To me, experiential learning is about that utility of knowledge,” Gallegos said. “You know you have an education when you can go out there and use that education.”

Gallegos' lecture is scheduled to last approximately an hour. The audience is encouraged to arrive early, as seating may be limited. Also, attendees are asked to refrain from wearing heavy perfumes or colognes out of special consideration for the speaker's sensitivity to scents.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state's oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.