Ron Herzman, who is retiring from the SUNY Geneseo after 49 years on the faculty, will present his farewell lecture April 13.
GENESEO, N.Y. -- A venerable SUNY Geneseo faculty member, Ronald Herzman, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English, is retiring at the end of the school year after 49 years with the College and will be presenting his farewell lecture April 13 at 4 p.m. in Room 202 of Newton Hall. The event is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow in Milne Library.
His lecture, “Dancing with the Stars: Cook, Towsley, McCoy — and Dante,” will reflect on how reading and team-teaching Dante with three friends and colleagues provided him with a model for what collaborative work is all about. The friends and colleagues Herzman cites in his title are Bill Cook, Distinguished Teaching Professor of History; Gary Towsley, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Mathematics; and Beth McCoy, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English.
“The mark that Ron Herzman has made on Geneseo and the global academic community over the past half century is immeasurable, and I very much look forward to what I know will be a memorable and brilliant farewell lecture,” said Geneseo Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Stacey Robertson. “He has touched the lives of numerous students, and alumni with his passion for teaching and immersing them in cultural experiences around the world. We are thrilled to be honoring Ron’s highly distinguished career, and the establishment of his endowment fund is most fitting to help ensure that future Geneseo students will have the opportunity to benefit from his legacy.”
The College has established the Ronald Herzman Study Abroad Endowment Fund in honor of his vision and legacy. Donations to the fund will provide financial support for students who otherwise would not have the financial means to study abroad and engage in global studies, research and international scholarship.
Last fall, Herzman received Geneseo’s first Faculty Career Achievement Award. He is among the world’s most respected Dante scholars and has authored a number of books, including “The Medieval World View: An Introduction,” which he co-authored with Cook. The book has been in use in classrooms worldwide for 34 years. He also has authored 50 journal articles, made countless presentations and served three years as chair of the College’s English department. He and Cook developed an “Age of Dante” course that they team taught at Geneseo and abroad for 40 years.