Scarsdale's Most Popular Teacher?

Scarsdale residents might be surprised to learn that one of the most popular teachers in the community is someone whose name is unknown to the Village's school age children. Alfred Hunt has been teaching for the Scarsdale Adult School on and off for the last 15 years. His extremely popular classes always fill-up and often have waiting lists. I observed two of Professor Hunt's classes and can attest that his rapport with the students and his delivery of information (in a charming, slight southern drawl left over from his origins in Memphis, Tennessee) is as impressive as his credentials.

Hunt is a Professor Emeritus of History at SUNY Purchase where he was the Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences from 1989-2000. His specialty there was the American South and his academic degrees are in American Studies from University of Texas at Austin. He was the creator and on-camera host of "Critical Issues," an award-winning SUNY-sponsored cable talk show, and was also the recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is the author of Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America, and numerous scholarly articles. Hunt has been a Fulbright Scholar in Venice, Italy and Barbados, West Indies, as well as founder, director, and instructor in study abroad programs in Spain and Italy. He started lecturing and teaching adult communities while he was still at SUNY and enjoyed it so much that he decided to stick with it after his retirement in 2007. He humorously commented that his continuing education students are "less sleepy" than his undergraduates and there are "no papers to grade". However, he is often assigned homework as I witnessed many class members stroll in early to ask him if he has read a certain book or article and he noted it all for future reading and discussion.

Hunt has also been a faculty member for several years with the Semester at Sea program that has taken him around the world three times. This program is essentially a different type of abroad experience where students and faculty live on a ship and visit many countries. For example, in Spring 2016 this program is offering "A Voyage Around The World, 101 Days, 15 Cities, 11 Countries" with travel to Africa, Asia and Europe. Not only for college students, adults can travel on these voyages too through the organization's Lifelong Learning Program. Check out their website at www.semesteratsea.org.

One of Hunt's Scarsdale Adult School classes is a series of lectures on world politics and culture. On February 3, 2015 he lectured on China for 90 minutes covering its history, culture, economics, and current challenges such as environmental problems and human rights issues. He was able to supplement his vast knowledge with anecdotes from his personal visits over the years.

Hunt also leads a very much in demand class on current events. I observed a class on which the topic was the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The discussion might have gotten overly heated and aggressive given the topic, but in fact is it was collegial, serious, and punctuated with humor. Hunt sets the stage so that differences of opinion are encouraged and treated respectfully. Everyone in the class is on a first name basis, Hunt included. He knows every participant's name and does a wonderful job of including all in the discussion without putting anyone on the spot. He provides reading material prior to class, but it is not mandatory. The group is very well informed and often referenced books, articles and lectures recently attended. Class members tend to enroll for multiple terms creating a group of "regulars" however new members and new points of view are most welcome. The class as a whole leans a bit to the left politically, but several students told me how much they missed a former very right leaning member of the group and how much value he added to the discussion. Hunt said he sometimes tries to provoke debate if he sees that everyone is in too much agreement.

After class, I spoke with participants Simon and Nita Jacobson who informed me that they never miss class and get up at midnight when on-line registration opens to make sure they get a spot. This is their fourth time participating in this program and they also audited Hunt's classes when he taught at Purchase.

Hunt has been living in this area for more than 30 years. He currently resides with his family in Carmel, NY and happily makes the trip to Scarsdale several times a week.

In addition to lively discussion, this class provides an opportunity to socialize in a manner similar to a book group. If you want to meet a bunch of smart, friendly people and/or if you are missing that favorite professor from your college days, you should definitely try to experience one of Alfred Hunt's classes. Visit www.scarsdaleadultschool.org for enrollment information.