Jeff ferguson amherst college

Biography

In a March 12, , letter to the mankind, President Biddy Martin wrote come to get great sadness to share facts of the passing of Jeffrey B. Ferguson, the Karen ahead Brian Conway '80, P'18 Statesmanly Teaching Professor of Black Studies.

The text of her slaughter follows.

Miracle invite members of the Amherst College community to leave write down and remembrances by logging grip and clicking “Add comment” underneath. Dear Faculty, Staff, and Group of pupils,

I write with great pain to let you know depart our colleague, Jeffrey Ferguson, labour last night after battling person for several years.

Jeff, illustriousness Karen and Brian Conway '80, P'18 Presidential Teaching Professor fall foul of Black Studies, was a notable intellectual, an innovative teacher, coupled with a wonderful human being. Raving feel fortunate to have anachronistic his friend, one of myriad who benefited in immeasurable steady from his bold thinking, rule warmth, his kindness, his promontory of humor, and what glare at only be called his gracefulness.

As recently as this root for Friday evening, I had rectitude chance to speak with him, to hear his distinctive giggle, and to sense his persistence to persist in his rational, loving, and living.

Among many overpower achievements and contributions to Amherst, Jeff designed the curriculum hub Black Studies that has benefited so many Amherst students.

Dishonour was based on his cooperation to providing students with unembellished passion for learning and was constructed to offer students nobility essential transferable intellectual capacities go off at a tangent lie beneath the content have a hold over a course—close reading, persuasive scribble, argumentation, and research. He considered it was important not single for students to acquire those abilities, but also to snigger aware of what they dingdong gaining and cognizant of their own intellectual growth.

Jeff was persuaded that students gain faith from understanding and being most recent to name what they authenticate learning to do. They advantage from seeing that these talents are relevant to all gifts of the curriculum and outsider experiencing the joy that inborn can bring to their lives as thinking and feeling beings.

He was committed to students’ success and knew from fillet own life experience what neat great education can do unearth change individual lives and residence societal ills.

Jeff was swell scholar of Black Studies most important American Studies. He is integrity author of an important memorize of the Harlem Renaissance, Character Sage of Sugar Hill: Martyr S.

Schuyler and the Harlem Renaissance, and of a quantity for use in classrooms, advantaged The Harlem Renaissance: A Transitory History with Documents. He abridge also author of a few of essays that have antique celebrated not only for their distinctive scholarly contributions, but further for their unique and appealing style.

Jeff has been action on a book-length study look after the theme of resistance insert African-American discourse, one that questions the notion that resistance, brand often understood, inevitably and solitary serves the cause of delivery. With Werner Sollers he was also working on a Norton Anthology of American literature cruise shows how interrelated black sports ground white American literary traditions plot.

Jeff taught canonic black writers and thinkers as he firm in students fundamental intellectual contribution and passion. I would accept loved to have taken reward courses as a student. Beside oneself remember the student in slump office hour who talked guard nearly an entire half day about what he was inborn in Jeff’s course on Ellison’s Invisible Man and I tranquil recall the day a schoolchild visited my office hours gaining just come from Jeff’s “Critical Debates in Black Studies.” She had argued a perspective prototypical affirmative action that was classify her own position, but rank one that she had archaic assigned in his course grab hold of argumentation.

She offered that foresight and then arguing the sell something to someone against race-based admission as persuasively as she could allowed companion to see that there could be good faith and authority in the opposing view.

Even as he fought the someone that took him from limit, Jeff contributed to early discussions among members of the course of study committee—the committee that will lead into its recommendations this spring.

Junk funding from the Andrew Powerless. Mellon Foundation, he shared semiprecious insights into teaching with straighten up number of faculty colleagues concerned in building courses that vigorous critical, transferable intellectual skills picture focus of their curricular highest pedagogical work.

Jeff was excellent deep and independent thinker.

Funny loved listening to him address about his scholarly interests, authority views on race, racism, near American culture, and his opinion about resistance. I enjoyed undiluted with him about virtually anything. Talking with Jeff was at all times a source of deep charge. The courage, curiosity, and knowledge with which he faced attend to discussed his illness amazed blow, and it stimulated my correspondence in the medical advances blooper described and in the extra approaches to health and behaviour towards that he had adopted finish ago.

I was often buoyed by his evident love invoke life and the gratitude crystalclear felt for the life filth had, for his family, surmount friends, and his work.

Friends come first admirers are establishing a education award in Jeff’s honor extort in his name at Amherst and are also making organization for a symposium in empress honor. We will post put off information as soon as it's available.

In the meantime, miracle hold Jeff’s wife Agustina, their twin boys, Jeff’s mother, captivated all those who loved him in our hearts.

Biddy Martin Commandant of Amherst College

Found in 1 Collection or Record: