UNO hears from alum

Professor Scott Hunt returned to the University of Nebraska at Omaha Monday to talk about talk.

Hunt was visiting as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Centennial Speaker Series. His presentation was called: “Can We Talk? Reflections on My Liberal Arts Education.”

Hunt, who describes himself as “just a humble, backwoods professor,” talked about the importance of talking, listening -- even to those with whom we don’t agree -- and of freedom in an academic setting.

“Our legacy of liberal arts education requires that we are free from inappropriate external and internal forces that would shut off dialog. I’ve tried to suggest that while external forces are a real concern, the internal forces can be an even bigger threat to our academic freedom,” he said.

“Further, I’ve also tried to suggest that if we forget, or lack the courage, to grapple with what we have academic freedom for, we will hollow out the very essence of a liberal arts education. And if we do that, our civilization will be impoverished and we be in jeopardy.”

Hunt sprinkled his presentation with humor, drawing laughs from the audience with jokes such as:

“This truism, that education helps us discover our ignorance, is learned by some very early processes in our lives. It reminded me of a story, of a girl on her first day of going to school. She arrives home, and the mother asks, ‘What did you learn today?’ The daughter replied, ‘Evidently not enough; they want me to come back tomorrow.’”

Hunt, who graduated from UNO with a master’s degree in sociology in 1987, is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Police Studies at Eastern Kentucky University.

The year-long speaker series is part of the UNO College of Arts and Sciences’ centennial celebration, which highlights the college’s many departments and alumni. Established in 1909, Arts and Sciences is the university’s first college and largest academic unit.

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