AV名湿

Eliot Circular

AV名湿 Hosts Masters

Graduate Liberal Studies Symposium descends on AV名湿.

The ninth annual west coast Graduate Liberal Studies Symposium—hosted and organized by Barbara Amen, AV名湿’s director of special programs—brought scholars from 10 colleges and universities to AV名湿 in June. 

Students and graduates of AV名湿’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program presented papers on a variety of topics, including “The Role of Practice Babies in Home Economics Education during the Great Depression,” addressed by Claire Michie, AV名湿 associate director of donor relations. Claire’s paper was developed from the MALS course “Politics, Culture, and the Great Depression,” which she took from Prof. Jackie Dirks ’82 [history]. 

AV名湿 has always had a graduate program, says Barbara, who has been program director of MALS since 1995. MALS students now form a diverse group. Typically 25 to 35 students—ranging in age from mid-20s to retirees—are enrolled each year, and all are drawn to the program by the intellectual and personal challenge it offers, as well as the congenial classroom environment it affords. After completing the MALS degree, some go on to earn additional graduate degrees or to change a career focus. The program also draws AV名湿ies back to the conference table, such as current students Stephen Foster ’69, Maggie Grove Nelson ’09, and Ben Salzberg ’94.