About Wiser Every Day
Every type of knowledge—massage therapy, homoeopathy and circus performing—is taught at one university or another, but “wisdom is rarely mentioned. It was not always like this. Wisdom was central to classical education and its importance persisted right down to the 20th century. But wisdom is no longer in the curriculum; it has been replaced with information, knowledge, and skills.
Tolerance, love, honesty, courage, and loyalty are also omitted from the modern curriculum; yet, these are the virtues on which the success of our society depends. This newsletter is for those who believe our collective future requires an education designed to develop character and a sense of duty to ourselves, our country and the world.
Wiser Every Day includes my articles and essays. I’ll also include the work of others. As long as they are grown up and thoughtful, subscribers are encouraged to comment on anything and everything that appears in the newsletter.
I hope you enjoy reading Wiser Every Day. I’m really glad to have you here. Why not get involved? Subscriptions are free and include all content.
Steven Schwartz
About Steven Schwartz
Steven Schwartz has been described as a lanky, cigar-chomping, stove-pipe-hat wearing New Yorker with a mission to transform higher education into a Wall Street wasteland populated by greed-is-good Gordon Gekkos. This description is not entirely accurate.
Steven is tall but he doesn’t smoke anything, is more often than not seen in T-shirt and jeans, leans more towards Gandhi than Gekko, and the only wasteland he’s interested in is T S Eliot’s.
He was born in New York—but so long ago that he has been an Australian citizen for 40 years.
Steven Schwartz served as Vice-Chancellor (President) of Macquarie University in Sydney. He was also Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University in London, England and Vice-Chancellor of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia.
Steven began his undergraduate studies in the 1960s. The Vietnam War, the civil rights movement and a rebellious attitude toward bureaucratic organisations led to student unrest: building occupations, non-negotiable demands, and the predictable police response. Steven missed few opportunities to participate in these important developmental experiences. As a newly minted PhD, his career took him to universities in Illinois, Texas, Western Australia, Queensland and London.
At each university, he found staff nostalgic for the good old days—small lectures with adoring students, a quiet lunch in the staff club and plenty of time and money for research. Alas, nostalgia is not what it used to be; the good times always seemed to have ended just before Steven arrived.
Like many research academics, Steven managed to studiously avoid administrative duties until a sudden shift in power landed him as Head of Department, then, in quick succession, Dean of Medicine and Vice-Chancellor. He also served as the Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and also Chair of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission.
Steven is the author of a dozen books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. He was awarded membership of the Order of Australia for services to education and mental health.
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