I was a student of Ted’s during the disco era (that would be the late 1970s). Apropos to the times, one imagined his closet bar groaning under the weight of many leisure suits; he was always a stylish dresser, and that was the style of the day -- really. Sartorial splendor aside, my debt to this man was and is profound. His groundbreaking theoretical policy formulation, the arenas of power, was extremely important for my own work, beginning with my doctoral dissertation. But my sharpest memories of him begin when, as a greenhorn graduate student, I sat in his office to discuss an assignment or seek counsel on some matter. Ted liked an audience, and would invite in as many students as chairs available. I found this a little intimidating, but that gave way to a different feeling: to be carried away by Ted’s sheer enthusiasm for his political science (and most other things as well). Moreover, when Ted spoke to us, it was as colleagues, not students. I would always leave his office feeling charged up, energized to charge ahead. I wasn’t quite sure what he had just said, but boy, was I ready to tackle the next thing!
It took me a while to figure out the unspoken lesson of Ted’s infectious enthusiasm, which was the decisive importance of motivation, the thrill of the hunt, in learning. It’s the core of what I try to do, in my own way, in teaching. Content matters, of course, but if the instructor can manage to energize the students, to transmit genuine enthusiasm, the desire to want to learn more, to figure things out because it’s all so exciting, then that’s no small accomplishment. I’ll take a student who is earnest and highly motivated over one who is merely smart any time.
Because my institution is close to Cornell, I had the chance to see Ted from time to time, and even to be a guest lecturer in his classes a few times when he was away. Who says you can never go home again? I was more than glad to do it, and always happy to see the man. His zest for life was a marvelous thing; even now, it’s hard for me to believe that he’s gone.
If you look up the word “ebullient” in a good dictionary, you will see this notation at the bottom: “see Lowi, Ted.”
Robert Spitzer
Distinguished Service Professor and Chair, Political Science Department
SUNY Cortland
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