President Nathan Pusey, creator of Lawrence’s Freshman Studies program, believed that the course would have significance for the faculty members who were teaching it, as well as for their students. “The teachers in this course are making an honest proof of their principles,” he said. “Believing that specialized competence in one line need not prevent a man from study in other fields, they are practicing their belief.”
Ernestine Whitman, professor of music, agrees. During the Fall Term, Whitman took a sabbatical leave in order to devote full time to teaching Freshman Studies, which she had never taught before. “I had a great time,” she says. “As a flute teacher, I constantly study and teach great works of music, but it has been such a treat to be able to spend time studying ‘works of art’ in other fields. I’ve found that I bring some of the same passion that I have for the flute to teaching Freshman Studies, because the works we teach are so compelling.”
During the 2004-05 academic year, she performed a solo recital, a program of 20th-century American music, and joined the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble in the Concerto for Flute and Wind Orchestra by Henk Badings before experiencing the recurrence of a medical problem. In 1988, Whitman was diagnosed with focal dystonia, a repetitive-motion injury that caused a paralysis of her left hand. Although most musicians who have this condition never perform again, she fought her way back, spending two years relearning how to play. A few months ago, however, she developed focal dystonia in her lip and is again unable to perform. While her own performing future is uncertain, she has become widely known as a resource person for musicians with focal dystonia.
Read more about Professor Whitman
View other faculty profiles from the president's annual report