The Man Behind the Name
Lang on his Legacy and the Importance of Liberal Arts Education
Monday, April 5th, 2010
Eugene Lang sat in a stiff leather chair, hands clasped. He paused to contemplate the question: What, if anything, does his eponymous college lack?
After a pensive moment Lang sat up abruptly and said, "It would be very interesting to reverse that question."
"Do you think everything's perfect?" he asked. "You're there.”
In characteristic fashion, the world-renowned philanthropist and self-made manufacturing magnate had turned the tables.
"I don’t mean to be taking over," Lang said of the interview with the *New School Free Press*, but added, "I can’t help but ask you questions because I’m interested."
For many, Lang’s forward nature can be unnerving. Even longtime associates are often unsure if when he is being critical, or merely curious.
“[Lang] can be quite a scary person,” said Neil Gordon, Dean of Lang College. “And my first impression was of his scary side.”
“Later on,” added Gordon, “I came to know his enormously kind side.”
The walls of Lang's midtown office are covered with honorary degrees, awards, and photographs. Two photos show President Bill Clinton awarding Lang the Medal of Freedom, the government's highest civilian award.
“I’ve been associated with kings and ambassadors and presidents,” said Lang. “But most important, I’ve been associated with a lot of college students.”
In 1981, Lang made a last-second change to a speech he was giving at P.S. 121 in East Harlem, the school he attended in the 1920s. He had intended just to tell the graduating sixth graders that education was
paramount to one's success, but Lang supplemented the speech with a spontaneous promise to pay the students' college tuition if they graduated high school.
The promise brought headlines and its success signaled the start of the I Have a Dream Foundation (IHAD). Launched in 1986, Lang's foundation now works throughout the nation, including a program in Chelsea in which Lang College students help mentor elementary school students.
IHAD alumn have gone on to succeed in a number of professions. “A month ago, I got a phone call,” said Lang. “One of my original kids from back in 1985, who had a single parent, no family, who was very, very bright and he really had good leadership qualities and he was a role model for other students. This was a kid who probably would have dropped out of school. He stayed the course as a dreamer, and he called me up to tell me he'd just been admitted to the foreign services of the United States.” Lang used him as an example of the difference education can make in a person's life: instead of being a high school dropout, he went on to use his education to benefit society.
“It's terrific and I've seen this with many, many of our kids,” said
Lang. “To me, that's the greatest thing in my life—seeing the
successes of children. It's a tremendously wonderful feeling.”
Jeffrey Gural, a sponsor of IHAD at the Chelsea-Elliot housing projects recalls, “whenever [Lang] comes to one of our events, he usually does the Dreamer Pledge. He knows it by heart and he gets the kids to follow along. It's so inspirational."
The Dreamer pledge is based on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and is read at IHAD events. "I’m going to stay in school. Work hard, study hard," the pledge states. "I’m going to go all the way—to college—make it big. I’m proud to be a Dreamer. I have a dream."
“Lang is never happier than when he is surrounded by a whole bunch of kids,” said Cecilia Rubino, a Lang theatre professor who helped pilot Lang College's involvement in the IHAD program in 2004.
Eugene Lang attended Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts college near Philadelphia and graduated when he was 19.
In college, Lang had an experience, something he calls "the story of my life." As a volunteer at the Friends Neighborhood Guild, in a part of Philadelphia that he described as "probably the worst slum area you can possibly imagine," Lang was responsible for developing weekly educational activities for kids from the area.
He devised an unusual lesson plan: to dissect a dogfish in a biology class. "It seemed like a very exciting thing to do, 'cause it’s a chance to use a scalpel," Lang remembered with a laugh. He brought the fish into town in a paper bag. After the group dissected it, each kid took a piece of the fish home as a souvenir.
Four years later, Lang got a letter that he has never forgotten. "Dear Eugene,” it read as Lang recalled, “I don’t know if you remember me…I was the kid, Bill, who worked on the butcher truck. You remember, I
quit school and you tried to get me to go back. You remember the night we dissected the dogfish and I took my sample home and I put it on a shelf in my room and I kept looking at it? And after a while I decided, it would be great if I could be a doctor. I just graduated from High School. That’s the reason I'm writing you. But also because I've just been admitted to Howard University as a pre-med student.”
After a pause,“Well, you talk about defining moments in your life,” said Lang. “The feeling I had reading that letter, it hits me even now. Seeing the results, the human results, this channeled me into wanting to do things with disadvantaged children.”
The dogfish story illustrates Lang's philosophy. "A good education prepares you," he said. "There's a difference between learning and gearing up for a career." A liberal arts education, Lang believes, is
essential not only to learn, but to learn how to learn.
Lang is proud of the education Eugene Lang College provides, but still sees room for improvement. “I know that they have tried to reach out to cover all essential aspects of a genuine liberal arts curriculum,”
he said. “I'm not sure that has been accomplished.”
Despite his austere manner, Lang also has a sense of humor. Asked what he most looked forward to, Lang replied with a smile, “living to be 92.”
After a pensive moment Lang sat up abruptly and said, "It would be very interesting to reverse that question."
"Do you think everything's perfect?" he asked. "You're there.”
In characteristic fashion, the world-renowned philanthropist and self-made manufacturing magnate had turned the tables.
"I don’t mean to be taking over," Lang said of the interview with the *New School Free Press*, but added, "I can’t help but ask you questions because I’m interested."
For many, Lang’s forward nature can be unnerving. Even longtime associates are often unsure if when he is being critical, or merely curious.
“[Lang] can be quite a scary person,” said Neil Gordon, Dean of Lang College. “And my first impression was of his scary side.”
“Later on,” added Gordon, “I came to know his enormously kind side.”
The walls of Lang's midtown office are covered with honorary degrees, awards, and photographs. Two photos show President Bill Clinton awarding Lang the Medal of Freedom, the government's highest civilian award.
“I’ve been associated with kings and ambassadors and presidents,” said Lang. “But most important, I’ve been associated with a lot of college students.”
In 1981, Lang made a last-second change to a speech he was giving at P.S. 121 in East Harlem, the school he attended in the 1920s. He had intended just to tell the graduating sixth graders that education was
paramount to one's success, but Lang supplemented the speech with a spontaneous promise to pay the students' college tuition if they graduated high school.
The promise brought headlines and its success signaled the start of the I Have a Dream Foundation (IHAD). Launched in 1986, Lang's foundation now works throughout the nation, including a program in Chelsea in which Lang College students help mentor elementary school students.
IHAD alumn have gone on to succeed in a number of professions. “A month ago, I got a phone call,” said Lang. “One of my original kids from back in 1985, who had a single parent, no family, who was very, very bright and he really had good leadership qualities and he was a role model for other students. This was a kid who probably would have dropped out of school. He stayed the course as a dreamer, and he called me up to tell me he'd just been admitted to the foreign services of the United States.” Lang used him as an example of the difference education can make in a person's life: instead of being a high school dropout, he went on to use his education to benefit society.
“It's terrific and I've seen this with many, many of our kids,” said
Lang. “To me, that's the greatest thing in my life—seeing the
successes of children. It's a tremendously wonderful feeling.”
Jeffrey Gural, a sponsor of IHAD at the Chelsea-Elliot housing projects recalls, “whenever [Lang] comes to one of our events, he usually does the Dreamer Pledge. He knows it by heart and he gets the kids to follow along. It's so inspirational."
The Dreamer pledge is based on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and is read at IHAD events. "I’m going to stay in school. Work hard, study hard," the pledge states. "I’m going to go all the way—to college—make it big. I’m proud to be a Dreamer. I have a dream."
“Lang is never happier than when he is surrounded by a whole bunch of kids,” said Cecilia Rubino, a Lang theatre professor who helped pilot Lang College's involvement in the IHAD program in 2004.
Eugene Lang attended Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts college near Philadelphia and graduated when he was 19.
In college, Lang had an experience, something he calls "the story of my life." As a volunteer at the Friends Neighborhood Guild, in a part of Philadelphia that he described as "probably the worst slum area you can possibly imagine," Lang was responsible for developing weekly educational activities for kids from the area.
He devised an unusual lesson plan: to dissect a dogfish in a biology class. "It seemed like a very exciting thing to do, 'cause it’s a chance to use a scalpel," Lang remembered with a laugh. He brought the fish into town in a paper bag. After the group dissected it, each kid took a piece of the fish home as a souvenir.
Four years later, Lang got a letter that he has never forgotten. "Dear Eugene,” it read as Lang recalled, “I don’t know if you remember me…I was the kid, Bill, who worked on the butcher truck. You remember, I
quit school and you tried to get me to go back. You remember the night we dissected the dogfish and I took my sample home and I put it on a shelf in my room and I kept looking at it? And after a while I decided, it would be great if I could be a doctor. I just graduated from High School. That’s the reason I'm writing you. But also because I've just been admitted to Howard University as a pre-med student.”
After a pause,“Well, you talk about defining moments in your life,” said Lang. “The feeling I had reading that letter, it hits me even now. Seeing the results, the human results, this channeled me into wanting to do things with disadvantaged children.”
The dogfish story illustrates Lang's philosophy. "A good education prepares you," he said. "There's a difference between learning and gearing up for a career." A liberal arts education, Lang believes, is
essential not only to learn, but to learn how to learn.
Lang is proud of the education Eugene Lang College provides, but still sees room for improvement. “I know that they have tried to reach out to cover all essential aspects of a genuine liberal arts curriculum,”
he said. “I'm not sure that has been accomplished.”
Despite his austere manner, Lang also has a sense of humor. Asked what he most looked forward to, Lang replied with a smile, “living to be 92.”
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