A Sixty-Year Ride through the World of Education

Except for a monstrously long autobiography, the books I have written in the past all address different parts of the academic world. But this time I have just brought out a book that is intended for a much wider audience. It’s title is given above and it is published by Hamilton Books of the Rowman & Littlefield publishing group. The publisher’s website gives quite a bit of information. You can either click on this long-winded affair:
http://www.hamilton-books.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0761837310
or simply Google Hamilton Books and type Weingartner where it says Book Search. Besides a picture of its quite attractive cover, you can peruse the table of contents (with some minor and apparently ineradicable goofs) and pre-publication reviews by three distinguished readers. I am now joining the company of bloggers specifically to help peddle this book to that broader audience. While I look forward to spouting off on all kinds of topics––besides my interest in education, I have opinions on many aspects of politics, as well as on music and art, among other topics––my first task is to tell you about A Sixty-Year Ride.
While writing, I was conscious of wanting to do three things. First and centrally, I sought to acquaint the reader with numerous facets of the world of education. Before I retired in 1994, I had spent 61 years in school, beginning in Heidelberg, Germany in 1933, the same year Hitler came to power. First it was public elementary school but then an improvised Jewish School, before, in 1939, my family and I emigrated to New York. There elementary school continued in a new language, followed by junior high and Brooklyn Tech(nical High School). After a brief stint on an LST in the Pacific, I again served my time as a student, at Columbia, beginning as an undergraduate and ending with a doctorate in philosophy. I went on to teach philosophy at San Francisco State and Vassar, where I also chaired my departments. Turning “professional” administrator in 1974, I served 13 years as dean of arts and sciences at Northwestern and then a brief stint as provost of the University of Pittsburgh. Before retiring, I wound up up chairing Pitt’s philosophy department as well.
In telling this tale, I shine a light into most corners of the world of education and treat a great variety of issues pertaining to it. I do it in 33 short sections (none longer than 1,500 words)––suitable for people with short attention spans or with little continuous time to read. And I intersperse these autobiographical sections with 14 other short discussions that directly tackle significant educational themes at all levels: reflections on elementary and high school, on required courses for undergraduates, on learning how to teach, on the practice of Publish or Perish, on the nature of academic administration, by way of examples. Anyone who reads this short book of 167 pages will have learned a lot about the complex world from which I have now retired.
My second goal was to convey––but not abstractly nor by preaching-–my attitude toward this myriad of educational issues. My cousin, a scientist, who read the book, called to tell me that I am a dinosaur: “and I mean that in the good sense.” I agreed with both parts of that. Since I left academic administration (that’s now 18 years ago), academic administrators have largely become professional without quotation marks, administrations have become much larger and, not surprisingly, academic institutions have become considerably more bureaucratic. (As much as I enjoyed my years as a Northwestern dean, I would not now want to return to that job.) The dedication of The Sixty-Year Ride reads as follows: “This book is dedicated to all those academic administrators who work every day to foster the primary goals of the academy: teaching its students and contributing to the world’s knowledge.” That will give you a flavor of my attitude.
Finally, I confess that vanity also played a role in my bringing out this book. I’m 80 years old and wanted to show off some of what I have accomplished in life. Since I am, in any case, addicted to writing, herewith A Sixty-Year Ride through the World of Education.