Senior's self-design major fits him perfectly

RELEASED: Feb. 15, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—Tony Spalding, a senior from Louisville, came to Centre with an interest in studying diversity issues from a variety of perspectives. While the College offers many traditional majors, none of them fit perfectly with his academic interests. So, with the help of faculty advisors, Spalding designed his own major in diversity studies.

Combining elements of anthropology, government, history, psychology, religion and sociology, Spalding's academic program will meet the College's liberal arts objectives, as well as his own. As part of his self-designed major, Spalding is required to complete upper-level classes in each of several disciplines and an independent study.

A self-designed major isn't meant to take the place of the Centre's liberal arts environment; it's meant to enhance it.

"Centre promotes a liberal arts environment that offers a broad education by cultivating original ideas and fresh modes of thinking," Spalding says. "My desire has been to better understand our world and its people, which necessitates a holistic liberal arts understanding of culture, religion, gender, government, history and ethnic origins."

By completing a major in diversity studies, Spalding's ultimate goal is to gain a better understanding about the connections among all humans while becoming familiar with the unique experiences and identities of different groups of people.

Spalding says, "By studying the human experience from many perspectives across a number of disciplines, I'm able to appreciate individual and cultural belief systems and how various aspects of all peoples make us unique in some ways, yet similar in others—detached yet connected."

After graduation, Spalding plans to pursue an M.P.A. and would also like to take part in the JET program, a program set up with the Japanese government that allows native English speakers to teach in Japanese schools.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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