Alfred Bloom
Encyclopedia
Alfred H. Bloom is an American
psychologist
and linguist
and vice chancellor of New York University Abu Dhabi. It is the stated goal of NYU Abu Dhabi to become one of the world’s great universities—a multi-layered, globally networked, educational institution of extraordinary quality and impact, which will include a highly selective liberal arts college, distinctive graduate programs, and a world institute of advanced research and scholarship.
Bloom joined NYU Abu Dhabi from Swarthmore College, where he completed an 18-year tenure as president in 2009. Under Bloom, Swarthmore assumed a position of broadly recognized leadership in American liberal arts education. During Bloom’s tenure, the College revitalized its academically rigorous Honors Program, undertook extensive renovation and creation of academic buildings, broadened its multicultural curriculum, expanded foreign study, and established the Eugene M. Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility.
During the Bloom presidency, the College dramatically increased its diversity, with the proportion of students of color in the entering class rising from 16 percent to 39 percent. The College also achieved a significant increase in admissions applications and selectivity, most recently with more than 6,200 applications of extraordinary quality for approximately 375 places in the Class of 2012. Swarthmore's endowment grew from $400 million in 1991 to $1.4 billion in 2009. In addition, the College raised more than $362 million in gifts during that period. The College also expanded its commitment to financial aid, eliminating loans from students' financial aid packages, and ensuring that aid covered all foreign study. In 2000, Bloom and Swarthmore's Board of Managers, in a controversial decision, eliminated the College's football program.
Prior to assuming the presidency at Swarthmore, Bloom served as executive vice president of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Previously, he was vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty at Pitzer. He was appointed as an assistant professor of psychology and linguistics at Swarthmore in 1974, and named associate provost in 1985.
In 1967, Bloom received his B.A.
, summa cum laude in Romance languages
and Europe
an civilization
from Princeton University
. That year, he studied in France
as a Fulbright-Hays fellow. In 1974, he received his Ph.D.
in psychology and social relations from Harvard University
. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Richmond and Swarthmore College. The concept of "ethical intelligence,” which has gained currency within and outside of higher education, was introduced by Bloom who first expressed it in his inaugural address as president of Swarthmore in 1991 and has since amplified its meaning in numerous writings and speeches.
Bloom's research brings together psychology and linguistics, particularly with respect to how they help us to understand cross-cultural continuities and differences in thought and moral understanding and the reciprocal impact of language on thought and thought on language. He is the author of "The Linguistic Shaping of Thought: A Study of the Impact of Language on Thinking in China and the West" (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1981) and Moral Behavior in Chinese Society (Praeger Publishers, 1981) as well as numerous articles including "The Privileging of Experience in Chinese Practical Reasoning," Journal of Chinese Philosophy; "Psychological Ingredients of High-Level Moral Thinking: A Critique of the Kohlberg-Gilligan Paradigm," Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior; and "Caution - The words you use may affect what you say," Cognition.
Bloom is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Richmond
and Swarthmore College
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychologist
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and vice chancellor of New York University Abu Dhabi. It is the stated goal of NYU Abu Dhabi to become one of the world’s great universities—a multi-layered, globally networked, educational institution of extraordinary quality and impact, which will include a highly selective liberal arts college, distinctive graduate programs, and a world institute of advanced research and scholarship.
Bloom joined NYU Abu Dhabi from Swarthmore College, where he completed an 18-year tenure as president in 2009. Under Bloom, Swarthmore assumed a position of broadly recognized leadership in American liberal arts education. During Bloom’s tenure, the College revitalized its academically rigorous Honors Program, undertook extensive renovation and creation of academic buildings, broadened its multicultural curriculum, expanded foreign study, and established the Eugene M. Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility.
During the Bloom presidency, the College dramatically increased its diversity, with the proportion of students of color in the entering class rising from 16 percent to 39 percent. The College also achieved a significant increase in admissions applications and selectivity, most recently with more than 6,200 applications of extraordinary quality for approximately 375 places in the Class of 2012. Swarthmore's endowment grew from $400 million in 1991 to $1.4 billion in 2009. In addition, the College raised more than $362 million in gifts during that period. The College also expanded its commitment to financial aid, eliminating loans from students' financial aid packages, and ensuring that aid covered all foreign study. In 2000, Bloom and Swarthmore's Board of Managers, in a controversial decision, eliminated the College's football program.
Prior to assuming the presidency at Swarthmore, Bloom served as executive vice president of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Previously, he was vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty at Pitzer. He was appointed as an assistant professor of psychology and linguistics at Swarthmore in 1974, and named associate provost in 1985.
In 1967, Bloom received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, summa cum laude in Romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. That year, he studied in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as a Fulbright-Hays fellow. In 1974, he received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in psychology and social relations from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Richmond and Swarthmore College. The concept of "ethical intelligence,” which has gained currency within and outside of higher education, was introduced by Bloom who first expressed it in his inaugural address as president of Swarthmore in 1991 and has since amplified its meaning in numerous writings and speeches.
Bloom's research brings together psychology and linguistics, particularly with respect to how they help us to understand cross-cultural continuities and differences in thought and moral understanding and the reciprocal impact of language on thought and thought on language. He is the author of "The Linguistic Shaping of Thought: A Study of the Impact of Language on Thinking in China and the West" (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1981) and Moral Behavior in Chinese Society (Praeger Publishers, 1981) as well as numerous articles including "The Privileging of Experience in Chinese Practical Reasoning," Journal of Chinese Philosophy; "Psychological Ingredients of High-Level Moral Thinking: A Critique of the Kohlberg-Gilligan Paradigm," Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior; and "Caution - The words you use may affect what you say," Cognition.
Bloom is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
and Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
.
Sources
- Bloom, A. H. (1979). "The Impact of Chinese Linguistic Structure on Cognitive Style." Current Anthropology 20(3).
- Swarthmore College Bulletin http://media.swarthmore.edu/bulletin/?p=210
- NYU Abu Dhabi Vice Chancellor's Welcome http://nyuad.nyu.edu/about/message.html
External links
- http://www.swarthmore.edu/news/time/