Quotes & Comments
on William Scott Green
FROM JOEL SELIGMAN, President, University of Rochester:
"Bill Green is a great innovator and national leader in undergraduate education. His achievements in those endeavors have strengthened our College as he shaped the Rochester Curriculum and developed the Renaissance Plan. He has served the College as teacher, national scholar of religion and classics, and eloquent speaker on the values of a liberal education for more than 30 years. In the blossoming of our entrepreneurial activities, Bill has contributed in vital ways to integrating that vision across our campuses."
FROM CHARLES E. PHELPS, Provost, University of Rochester:
"Bill Green has absolutely transformed undergraduate education at the University of Rochester. I can’t imagine anyone with a better grasp of the totality of undergraduate education and the accompanying life experience that undergraduate education means here. He has made us far better than we would have been without his guidance. He has accomplished this transformative work as Dean of the College while pursuing additional initiatives as head of the Residential College Commission and being the guiding force for such endeavors as the Yodefat archeological program in Israel and a parallel program in Italy."
FROM THOMAS H. JACKSON, Distinguished University Professor and President Emeritus, University of Rochester:
"My time at the University, personally and professionally, was enriched enormously by Bill Green and I learned a great deal from Bill in his roles as educator, administrator, and friend. Bill is the most visionary, principled, and articulate believer in undergraduate education and, indeed, the whole of collegiate life that I know of, and the College reflects his passion and ability in every nook and cranny. No one has left a greater mark on the College, and no one warrants a "thank you" from the University, as much as Bill Green. In addition to our parallel paths as academic administrators, I have had the special privilege of teaching with Bill in areas from religion to entrepreneurship, and know that Miami is getting a world-class teacher and academic thinker as well as a superb catalyst for moving forward a university’s special commitment to undergraduate education. Even though Bill is moving to Miami, since ideas do not have physical boundaries, I look forward to our continued collaborations in the years ahead."
FROM JOANNA B. OLMSTED, Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering:
"Bill Green has been a quintessential scholar and educator throughout his 31 years at the University. He created the Department of Religion and Classics, stressing from the outset that the rigorous teaching of students was as important as the scholarship of the faculty. As Dean of the College, Bill transformed the way in which our undergraduates learn. The primary architect of the Rochester Curriculum and leader on many other educational initiatives, Bill also assembled and led a dedicated group who facilitated a positive and well-rounded college experience for our students. Anyone who has ever heard Bill give a welcoming address to parents or students, or listened to one of his lectures, knows that his passion is education. We have all benefited from the immensely creative ways in which Bill has institutionalized that excitement and vision.
FROM EDWARD WIERENGA, Professor of Religion and of Philosophy; Chair,
Department of Religion and Classics:
"Bill Green had the vision to situate the study of classical languages and texts and the study of the world’s major religions under one roof. Before he shaped the curriculum of the College, he designed a curriculum for the Department of Religion and Classics he
created. Later, while serving as Dean, he continued to teach vital courses, leaving his imprint not just on the department but on generations of students, as well. His demanding course in Theories of Religion, in particular, has become not only a rite of passage but
a transforming educational experience for students who strive to emulate his intellectual rigor."
FROM PETER LENNIE, Dean of Science, New York University, and incoming Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering:
"I’ve known Bill as a colleague since the early 1990s and have watched with great admiration the wide-ranging impact of his vision. No one has done more to shape and refine the undergraduate experience that makes a Rochester education so powerful and so esteemed. I’m very sorry that I won’t have the opportunity to work alongside Bill again, but I very much hope that I’ll be able to draw on his wisdom from time to time."
This page last updated Monday, 24-Apr-2006 12:16:58 EDT
