It seems that with almost every alumni encounter I make, I’m sure to find some endearing reference to Prof. Mike Fink in the RISD English Department. In the same way there are six degrees of separation to Kevin Bacon, I am finding there are perhaps only two or three to Prof. Fink. This discovery speaks to the fact that RISD is a uniquely visual liberal arts school that builds foundational knowledge in our students that fluidly cross fine art, design, and the liberal arts. In other words they come for our incredibly broad and riveting fine art and design education, and on top of that leave with the key skills for critical thinking and lifetime communication to succeed in our world.

FYI this post was inspired by my recent status update on Facebook: “When a student says they love a subject of study, they are saying that they love the teacher even more. Learning is personal.”

To which RISD alumni and past Trustee Eric Engstrom writes: “While at RISD I learned to love English from Mike Fink, and still I love him as well - but both equally. He was (and continues to be) an inspiration and I find him to be still vital and engaging 45 years after I took his class …”