In Lumine illo Tradimus Lumen. These Latin words hang above everyone here on Transy. It means, “In That Light, We Pass On the Light.” If any professor exemplifies that expression, it is Professor John Svarlien. I was graciously granted an audience with Svarlien for an interview where he answered questions about himself, questions from students, the future of the Classics and Latin departments, and more in this exclusive interview:
Grant: Many people wonder when exactly you are retiring. Is there any particular reason why?
Svarlien: Okay, well, the first answer is pretty straightforward. This is my last academic year, and the last class will be Latin II in the winter term. And why am I retiring? There is a right time for everything, and I’ve been teaching for at least 40 years, so there are several reasons for retiring. There are so many young faculty out there in the job market, and old faculty make room for young faculty.
Grant: What brought you to Transylvania University in the first place?
Svarlien: I came to Kentucky as a graduate student from the University of Texas at Austin, and while I was finishing up my dissertation, I had just received a job offer from Centre College and ended up staying for six years, but the reason I came to Transylvania was because it was an excellent opportunity for me. It was being able to start a Classics program; there wasn’t any Latin when I first joined. So it started off with adding Latin and teaching first-year seminar courses, and then I gradually built up other classes in addition to Latin, like ancient history taught by Frank Russell, and brought in more faculty like Professor Kaufman, teaching ancient philosophy. It’s been very much a team effort, and my colleagues have been wonderful.
Grant: Some of the students are asking if you are going to remain in touch with students on campus. What do you have to say about that?
Svarlien: Oh, I definitely want to remain in touch, I mean this when I say it but the greatest thing about my job is the students. That is, getting to know them, having face-to-face conversations, learning about them, having discussions about what is being taught in class, and they find it interesting to them, which is a great joy to have, and I am going to miss that experience. I will miss the classroom and the dynamics between presentation and debate; it is very stimulating to me and hopefully to the students as well. I don’t think I’ll be doing any more teaching but I will certainly not be absent from campus.
Grant: What are your hopes for the Latin and Classics department and the next professor to take up your mantle?
Svarlien: Well, the next professor we will hire at the end of this year will be teaching next fall, and will be a Latinist and will be teaching Latin along with other courses I have taught, but also different specialties. That person might teach gender and sexuality which I taught, they might teach history or philosophy. The great thing about classics is that it is so multi-faceted, and multi-disciplinary. So what I am most excited about is Medical Humanities, building up that program with Kaufman and Belina Sly and others from different programs like biology and classics. I think that it’s exciting to not just do one thing in classics like read ancient poetry, but to see all the connections and tie that all together in contemporary culture. I’m totally confident in leaving, the program is in very good hands and I will enjoy watching that grow in new directions.
Grant: How do you feel about the current state of affairs on campus? What would you like to see changed?
Svarlien: I’d like to see the student population grow. It’s difficult, and there are all kinds of reasons why that’s complicated, but it would be nice to get a slightly larger student population, and it would be nice to have more in-state and out-of-state students with different backgrounds. I have always been a strong advocate for campus culture, and that could be gathering outside for debates or programming in the arts and [bringing in] public speakers. I just think that’s important for the undergraduate experience, just as much as what is going on in the classroom. I think we have a strong student community here, and that’s one of the central points of a good college is to have that student culture and interact. I want students and faculty to interact more outside of classrooms.
Grant: What are your plans for retirement? Any vacation destinations in mind?
Svarlien: Well, the great thing about being a classicist is that there is always a reason to go to the Mediterranean. This last summer, my wife and I were in Greece, one of the many trips we have made, and then this coming summer, we are planning to go to France. Travel has always been an important part of my life, and I really push that for students. Everybody is different, but travel is a great learning experience because when you travel to a new country, you experience something new all the time. When you are an undergraduate or before you get into a professional school or when you have less time, you have less time to explore. This is a great time to do things like travel if you can do it.
My two kids went into a program in Spain called the Auxiliares (Auxiliares de Conversación), where they taught in public schools at the elementary level. You don’t have to speak Spanish or have any other special qualifications; it’s just when the window is open for applications in January, you just need to get your application in as soon as possible. You get a nice stipend to teach, and the schedule is easy to work with, my children loved it, and my son came back with money in his pocket. I had that experience as an undergraduate, and it meant so much to me, and so I enthusiastically encourage students to travel if they can.
Grant: Is there any advice you would like to give readers? It doesn’t have to involve Latin or academics; it could be life advice.
Svarlien: Get the most out of life. It is a simple thing to say, but one thing is that you have to be deliberate about it. You have to seek it out; don’t be passive, but be active in how you live life. Learn to know yourself; that is one thing these four years are for is getting to know who you are, what your interests are, and what you really enjoy doing. Find a job that you are engaged with, affirm your fulfillment with it, and do not settle for anything less! If you are in a job you hate, then I can’t think of a worse recipe for a good life or a happy one. Decide in your mind what a good life is to you and pursue it with energy and purpose.
