Taking a cue from PrezBo, SEAS hosted its own "fireside" chat Monday night to address students' concerns on a broad range of topics.
The digs were markedly less than splendiforous than 60 Morningside Drive - the Carleton Lounge on the first floor of Mudd is less than inviting, as its occupants often feel like they're inside some sort of fishbowl with large windows looking outside at ground level.
And it was not a solo show. From SEAS, Interim Dean Geri Navratil hosted with Vice Dean Mort Friedman, who began teaching at Columbia in 1956. Three deans from Student Affairs were also present. Though Navratil chose questioners and commented, Friedman did most of the talking.
From the beginning, Friedman's passion was evident. He was quite interested in student life at SEAS and about their opinions as to the SEAS curriculum, which he oversees. The evening's questions covered a broad range of topics, though Friedman managed to each of them back to his broad vision for SEAS in the twenty-first century. Navratil even used Friedman's now-famous quotation that graces every SEAS bulletin: "Engineering is the liberal art of the twenty-first century." Friedman was always quick to assure the attendees that Columbia engineers would graduate as the most well-rounded engineers. Indeed, he is responsible for implementing the now twenty-some minors available to SEAS students over the last ten years.
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