“What have I done to make this world a better place?”

An URI Professor ponders on his retirement


Professor Clay Sink, septuagenarian has completed 38 years of service at URI and taught more than 9000 students. Rain or shine this vivacious man has never missed a day off work in his career. His commitment to students and to the academic world is commendable. He is in his office by 8 am to attend to students queuing outside his office for solace and advice. His sensible and sensitive approach has earned him an indelible position in the hearts students. He is actively involved with the local Church increasing his circle of influence and dispelling darkness and in the society. There is more enthusiasm and energy as he inches closer to his retirement day.

Here is the excerpt from an online interview with Dr. Clay Sink.

1. An average American changes 14 jobs in his life time and goes through multiple marriages and you have changed less than 3 jobs in your entire career. How come?
My generation stayed with a position longer than the present generation because it wasn’t as easy to change jobs. Our attitude was “how can I make this job better” whereas the present generation’s attitude is that “I don’t have to put up with this so I’ll go somewhere where they do appreciate me.” Also, I have been blessed to have never had a job where I didn’t find a certain amount of satisfaction. My jobs have always given me opportunities to travel and do things outside the box. Another point that I can make is that I strongly believe that there is a certain amount of correlation between having a satisfactory personal life and happiness on the job. Fortunately I have had both.

2. Did you find what you were looking for when you came to URI? Or did you learn to love what you got?
I did find excitement by the fact that I was at URI as a young Southern person. Everyone made me feel comfortable. I did learn to love the place more and more as years have gone by. Love has to be nurtured for it to continue. I found a nurturing place where I could grow professionally, personally, and spiritually.

3. You have seen URI grow from a small community college to a global University over four decades. How was the journey along this path?
In many ways my journey here at URI has been like the journey our country has experienced. We are now a global village, filled with diversity in feelings, emotions, gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnic background and religion. This experience can explain in part why I have been so happy here.

4. Has the teaching profession changed from the time you were a kid till today when you are ready to retire? If so how and why?
The basics are still the same, but the difference is that there is more of a need to develop the total person. We used to just teach the content, but now we need to teach the content but also address or demonstrate the benefits of knowing the content and how the content can used to make the student or society a better place.

5. You have lived through America moving from being an Industrial power house to a technology power house, were you ever afraid of technology and change?
Yes, I am afraid of technology but I have turned that fear into a learning experience. I accept the fact that technology has changed how we live. I would not be comfortable living in a world without the technology we have today. Technology forces us to let go of some things that we think are comforting, but in essence those things are just things. To use technology makes us think and thinking sometimes causes anxiety and even pain. In my lifetime I have gone from having my teacher in the fifth grade take the class on a field trip to see a television to now being a teacher who uses power-point to enhance the learning in the classroom. The computer/technology can help us be efficient but we have to make sure we are also effective. Efficiency without effectiveness is a classic rule in management education.

6. There was a time when America was plagued with high school drop outs in the 70’s and today people are inundated with student loans by the time they reach their early 20’s. People say that teaching and medical practice are the noblest of all professions and, but today teaching is commercialized, it has become more of a luxury, with increasing tuition high fees and universities are making it a business proposition. Is it justified on the part of those who can’t afford the money? What is your take on this issue?
I have mixed feelings. Of course loans are a hardship on a person but thank heavens we have such things. Education for some may not bring satisfaction or a better standard of living, but I think for the most part education does do these things for a person. I loved getting my formal education. I had loans, scholarships, GI Bill, and assistantships at the graduate level. The University of Rhode Island is a state university and I feel a reasonably priced one and I think a quality school. Yet, we have people who complain about the high cost of education and these are the ones who send their children to private schools. It must be worth it – I don’t think I have ever heard someone say that it was not worth it. I am not sure that anything would be any better if education was free. Remember in the theatre, standing ovations usually come from those in the front first and these are the people who paid the most for their seats. Most students will say they come to college so they can get a better job, but most academic institutions will say that students are there to get an education which includes general education and life-learning skills. I look at it as a developmental and maturity process. It may be expensive but it is worth it.

7. You have traveled overseas and taught at Top notch Universities around the globe. Did you see significantly different learning patterns in students from different nationalities?
Yes, I did not find as much activity-based learning outside the US as there was in the USA classroom. Most were still using the traditional method of lecture. I did find a certain amount of serving the privileged in different parts of the world that I didn’t find in the USA. I did find an eagerness and enthusiasm for education in all parts of the world. People just love to learn. Students in different parts of the world always seemed to have gift of inquiry that makes learning exciting. Students from everywhere, including the USA, are basically the same – give them an opportunity and a meaningful experience and they appreciate it and in turn the professor receives a certain amount of inward satisfaction.

8. Do you think intelligence is an innate quality or can it be bred at the university?
I do think intelligence is innate. I don’t think the university can or should breed intelligence. I do think that learning can always be enhanced by using techniques that will reach students. Every situation is different so the method of teaching has to match the demands of the situation.

9. What are the flaws in the current educational system, at the school and college levels? And what revisions do you suggest?
I do think too many professors give their view of all kinds of things without presenting how others feel. Perhaps many professors appear to be “self-centered” and their priorities come before the student’s. A professor has to foster a climate where all views are heard and the student is the one who decides which view to accept. The difficulty I think for the professor is that he/she is so passionate about something that he/she forgets that there are different sides to an issue. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink unless he is thirsty and the horse himself decides that.

10. Technology is driving and learning metamorphosed from class room to web. What is your view on online education? Don’t you think web learning is incomplete since it takes away most of the human elements?
Yes and No. Online education can take away human elements, but it doesn’t have to. The question has to be asked “Why does a professor want to teach an online course” In fact, lack of face to face contact in some instances may be beneficial. The readings and activity based learning activities should overcome any concern about the human elements being eliminated. In many cases the course is more organized than a traditional class. Students are forced to follow a plan and complete their work in a timely manner.

11. America was never this way and campuses were safe learning institutions. Today Incidents of violence and campus shootings have been a frequent affair in the US. Are campuses safe anymore? Is America doing the right thing by putting guns in the hands of kids?
Incidents of violence and campus shootings are frequent on US campuses, but if we look at all acts of violence and shootings, college campuses are still among the safest of places. Colleges are a reflection of what is going on in the world. Politicians, I feel, use acts of violence and shootings and terrorism for their political gain. Instead of working to find solutions, politicians spend their time screaming and shouting across the table from each other. This doesn’t help a thing. If we can’t disagree with one another without trying to bury one another, we are teaching our youngsters that screaming, shouting, violence and shootings are acceptable activities.

12. What is the yardstick that you use to measure success in life? What makes a successful student and a successful human?
My yardstick is always “Did I give it 100%”? Success is measured in different ways. A good old saying is “What good does it do a person if he/she gains the whole world and yet loses his/her soul.” Am I at peace with myself. Too many people, I feel, look for peace outside themselves. Peace comes from within. Peace comes from forgiveness. Peace comes from the ability to love. My measure of success is “What have I done to make this world a better place? What have I done to help some student who was struggling or needed reassurance or needed a shoulder to cry on?” I know it is necessary to have resources, especially financial, to be able to do many of the things that help others. However, the true measure of success is how do I feel about myself. Right now, I feel pretty good.

13. How does it feel every time when a student remembers and comes back to see you or sends you an email?
There are no words that can describe this feeling. Sometimes I put myself in isolation and shed a few tears. Tears have a way of cleansing the soul. The remarkable thing is that often a student expresses appreciation to me for things I have done -- when in fact, I didn’t do anything special because whatever I did was an expectation of the job. However, it is great to know that I did my job in such a way that it was effective and appreciated.

14. While teachers like all their students, would you want to name a few whom you remember the most and why?
David Buckanavage – he always gives in return for what he received
Michael Jordan – he said some great things about me and I had no idea he ever thought of me as being special.
Matt Roy – looked at me as a collaborator
Matt Paldy – respected and believed in me enough to choose me as his major Ph.D. professor
Virginia Nardone – included me in her family gatherings
Chandra – shared some special things in his life with me and accepted me as I am
I have taught over 9,000 students and they all were special – the thing I hope is that they gained some knowledge, learned and continue to love, appreciate differences, and have a spiritual base that enables them to live and grow in a world that needs people of understanding.

15. Share an embarrassing moment while you were teaching in class.
I was teaching two sections of Organizational Behavior and one section of International Business. I got confused and gave my lecture for International Business in my Organizational Behavior class. I realized it when I got to my office. The amazing thing is that not one student ever told me. In fact, several students told me that they really enjoyed the last class because it was different.

16. This is from one of your emails “There is a saying that goes something like this -- "As we grow older the ones who have been our students become our teachers.” What have you learnt from your students?
Especially in the area of technology, the younger will always be more astute using it. The older can learn so much from them, but because we have such false pride we are afraid to ask. Also, the saying means that through our associations with the young we learn whether or not our beliefs make sense, have feeling, and that when we love truthfully it is reciprocated. The young teach us that we are important because they can build and further develop on the basis of what we have left them. They show us how what we have taught them can be used to make life better for everyone. They are the ones that have the strength to lead and to grow and to develop, and to improve on what we have given them. They take care of us because they love us.

17. Your memorable moments at URI and during your tenure as a teacher?
The opportunity I had to teach in France, India, Russia, and China. The associations I had with colleagues and students.

18. If given an opportunity to redo things in life, what would you like to undo and redo? Would still want to be a professor?
I would not change many things. I probably would have formed a personal relationship with another person if the times had been different, but since they weren’t I am content with how my life has been. Even though I live alone, I am not alone because of all the wonderful students, colleagues, friends, family, and spiritual satisfaction that are in my life. I think I would still be a professor – I have had fun. I did enjoy theatre as a youngster and sometimes can see that there would have been satisfaction there for me. However, now I enjoy the theatre as an audience participant.

19. If you were to teach a course on life and living, what would you teach your students?
It is not the students in my life that make a difference, but it is the life in my students that makes the difference. I would teach respect, even for those with whom we differ, and I would teach that sharing (whether it be food, feelings, or whatever we do) is necessary for a healthy mind.

20. Your advice to people who are planning to get into teaching profession?
The teaching profession is a rewarding profession. It is also a responsible profession. When a teacher is dealing with a young mind or any mind for that matter it is an awesome responsibility. Teachers are shaping the future. Teachers have to be able to accept that those who teach need to be patient, loving, and at times demanding. There are few absolutes, so be flexible.

21. Now that you are exiting publish or perish culture, How do you plan to spend your retired life?
I plan to relax for a few months and then seek out some other opportunities where I can continue teaching but on an informal basis. I want to spend more time at home and more time participating in community activities.