One Book, One Ursinus: Rescuing Socrates by Roosevelt Montas

Roosevelt Montás is a Columbia University scholar and one of the world’s foremost advocates for the virtues of liberal arts education. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and address the class of 2023 during Ursinus College’s 150th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13. Montás is a senior lecturer in American studies and English at Columbia University and serves as director of its Freedom and Citizenship Program. He speaks widely on the history, place, and future of the humanities in higher education. Rescuing Socrates is the story of his journey from the Dominican Republic to Queens to Columbia University. He focuses on four authors that, in the course of his liberal education, changed his life: St. Augustine, Socrates, Freud & Gandhi. A self-described “personal and polemical book,” he makes a strong case for the kind of education offered by Ursinus College. It will give all who read it and join in the conversation a chance to think deeply about their own education, what education can and should be, and how an Ursinus education is truly transformative.

Books are NOW available at the Learning Curve Desk on the main floor of the library and in the Bookstore. They are free to any and all members of the campus community. There will be sign-up sheets where you pick up your copy to join a listserv to hear about opportunities related to this book, or you can sign-up online here.