The primary mission of the Department of Philosophy is to prepare our students to be curious and critical life-long learners. We strive to provide a high quality undergraduate Philosophy program delivered by faculty who are both active scholars and enthusiastically dedicated to teaching philosophy to undergraduates. Our faculty teach and write about a wide range of important and exciting philosophical topics from Medieval Arabic Logics to Buddhist Philosophy to Epistemology and Environmental Ethics. The Department of Philosophy offers both a Major and a Minor in Philosophy as well as minors in Religious Studies and in Cognitive Science. Philosophy faculty also play key roles in the Environmental Studies Program and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
The Department of Philosophy Excellence Fund is used to help support the intellectual development of both students and faculty. Among its purposes is to fund scholarships for our majors, including our Outstanding Philosophy Student Awards, and to maintain a small fund used to assist students who cannot afford to purchase the books required for their Philosophy courses in a given semester. We also rely on the Excellence Fund to help bring special speakers to campus, underwrite the participation of both students at undergraduate philosophy conferences, and produce public events that contribute to the intellectual life of the community. Events sponsored by our Excellence Fund are open to students, alumni, faculty/staff, and the general public.
The first chairperson of the Department, Dr. Kenneth Kennard, and his wife, Marilyn, established the Kenneth and Marilyn Kennard Philosophy Fund in 1998. This fund supports a small scholarship awarded every year to the Outstanding Senior Philosophy Student. Donations to this fund would allow the department to increase the amount of this important scholarship. An increase in this fund would also allow us to offer additional scholarships and awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of our students.
