Faculty Dinner Series creating discussion

A number of Tufts' distinguished professors now have the chance to take part in a new program that allows them to hold informal discussions about each other's research and studies. 20 faculty members attended the first in a series of four dinners last month, and the same group will attend the second dinner, which will take place later next week.

The series is being organized by philosophy professor Daniel Dennett. Dennett said these dinners "let faculty in different disciplines get to know each other and talk about their work." He described the series as an outlet for professors to describe their research to their colleagues apart from the curriculum, budget, and policy.

Although President Larry Bacow conceived of and is funding the dinners using his discretionary funds, he is not attending the festivities. In order to keep the discussions informal, no administrators or students attend the talks either. According to Dennett, professors can to get to know each other more easily when the burden of impressing the administration is removed.

Response to the first dinner was overwhelmingly positive. "I enjoyed myself immensely," said history professor Jeanne Marie Penvenne, who was in attendance.

At each dinner, one faculty member makes a 20-minute presentation about his or her latest research to facilitate conversation. Child development professor Maryanne Wolf spoke at the first dinner _ held on January 21st _ on "The Study of Written Words in Evolution, Development, and the Brain: Intersections of Henry and William James."

Discussion is not limited to the presentation, however. It continues throughout dinner. "Greater Boston tends to pull our attention away from our Tufts colleagues, especially those in other disciplines," Dennett said. "It's great fun getting to know the local talent better, and who knows what joint projects may emerge in time."

The 20 faculty members represented eighteen different departments and included professors from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Fletcher School. Dennett selected professors that he was interested in learning about and then asked them to make recommendations to fill the guest list.

The first dinner was the first of four that these first 20 faculty members will attend. This group of faculty will have one semester of dinners before relinquishing their seats to another group. They will then be asked to recommend faculty members to receive invitations to the next series, which will occur in the fall.

Dennett said that one place for improvement was in the location of the dinners. The first dinner was held in the Coolidge Room of Ballou Hall, but the room was far too large and has no adjoining kitchen. Subsequent dinners will be held at the Wren Faculty Dining Hall, with plans underfoot to move them into the seventh floor of Cabot by the fall.

The next dinner in the series will be held on Feb 11.