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Greetings from Jeff Elman, Dean
In this issue of the e-Connection Newsletter we feature an interview with Dan Yankelovich. As Dan remarks, he is one of those people who have "flunked retirement." We are very happy for this! As a member of the UCSD Foundation Board and the Social Sciences Dean's Advisory Council, Dan has been a great friend to the campus and to the Division of Social Sciences.
Dan has also been an inspirational figure for our division. Over the years, he has argued with passion and eloquence for a vision of the professor as public intellectual. Although this is not a new idea, Dan's argument is that we are in times that call for an invigorated and more energetic role by scholars in confronting social challenges. We also live in times where, unfortunately, the value of scholarship and intellectual activity is questioned by some, and too often even disparaged. As social scientists, we must do more than lament this trend. We should combat it by finding ways for social science research to contribute to public discussion of complex issues and problems.
Within the Social Sciences division at UC San Diego, this happens in many ways. To pick a few examples from very many, we have faculty whose research has shed light on the causes and prevention of harmful social practices (Gerry Mackie, Political Science); who try to understand why differences in brain development in children matter for education (Terry Jernigan, Cognitive Science); who study the roots of political violence and terrorism (Eli Berman, Economics); whose research focuses on breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty in low-income youth (Amanda Datnow, Education Studies); who collaborate with engineers and physicians to develop a holistic approach to promoting community well-being (Mike Cole, Communication; Bud Mehan, CREATE and Sociology); who develop methods for treatment of autism (Laura Schreibman, Psychology); and who study immigration, both from a personal and a policy perspective (Wayne Cornelius, Political Science; David Fitzgerald, Sociology; Yen Espiritu, Ethnic Studies). Within the week, Clark Gibson, Chair of the Political Science Department and Director of International Studies, will travel to Afghanistan to serve as an international observer for the upcoming presidential elections. The list could easily go on for pages. Indeed, I encourage you to browse through the web pages of our faculty to see many more examples of research that are exciting and innovative, and which have direct social consequence. (You can use the divisional webpage, http://socialsciences.ucsd.edu, as a portal to the webpages of individual departments and programs.)
Obviously, universities do more than focus on issues of social importance. Basic research across a wide range of domains is essential. Such work enriches our understanding of our species and our societies. Furthermore, it is often the case that we cannot know today what the long term implications will be of basic research. Not every social scientist will be a public intellectual. But it is remarkable how much of what we do in the Division of Social Sciences does speak to issues of great public importance. This is a point that Dan has argued articulately. I thank him for this, and for his passionate vision of social scientists as public intellectuals.
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