Emory University conducted an in-depth interview with alumnus and AUR president, Scott Sprenger.
HOW HAS YOUR RESEARCH AND TRAINING AT EMORY PREPARED YOU FOR YOUR ACADEMIC CAREER AND AS PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ROME?
The wonderful thing about studying at Emory was the intellectual freedom I enjoyed and the constant encouragement to focus on big questions. Emory professors also insisted on interdisciplinary methods of analysis. These two threads – free thinking and the cultivation of broad interdisciplinary interests – run through my entire career, both as an academic and as an administrator.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST VALUABLE LESSON LEARNED AS A LANEY GRADUATE STUDENT?
To be open-minded and non-defensive when confronted with criticism, sometimes very harsh criticism. My professors at Emory, and especially the French ones, were always brutally honest in their commentary of my work. And I remember that being somewhat painful in the beginning. Looking back, however, the constant challenge to go deeper or to explore new directions laid the foundation for becoming a more resourceful thinker and collaborative administrator, even with colleagues whose perspectives I don’t share.
Read the full interview at https://gs.emory.edu/happening/studentspotlight/scottsprenger.html