Matt Polsky
Previous Degrees Obtained
Rutgers University, BA, Psychology; New York University, MBA & MA, Economics and Liberal Studies
Research Topic
.Problems with the way we think, including problematic assumptions we make, as a barrier to sustainability transformations . How do we overcome them? How do we speed up sustainability transformations?
Decades of sustainability work in state government in New Jersey; academia, taught 34 courses and was a Senior Research Fellow at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Institute for Sustainable Enterprise; business; and environmental groups. They all have what I call Mindset Barriers. These days a lot of volunteering, including now with the social services sector. Usually aim to add something (an interdisciplinary idea or resource) that is missing and might help an individual or group reach a higher level. Occasional writing and public lecture. Perpetual student.
Q&A
My original PhD Program ended and I needed to find another. Prescott College’s was the best choice.
Each professor thus far has allowed me to customize their course requirements to my thesis topic so that when I’m ready for that part of the process, hopefully, I will have key sections already written.
There are a few, but the biggest one is a need to see the “big picture” of the PhD process, which seems to expand every time I think I’ve come to understand parts of it, that has interfered with making progress with the many elements. Partially overcome through the Academic Writing course and the strategy of customizing course requirements to have key sections partially ready for the formal thesis preparation part of the process.
Practiced sustainability change-making in all main sectors. I don’t have a plan for what happens after the degree. There are too many unforeseeables. A think tank could be a possibility. Or if the right person ever attains the right government office, and was open to advice about severe innovation, that would be the culmination of many years of trying.
Whatever of working out is still possible at this point in life, even if it requires a stretch. Reading the newspaper and frequently writing comments on select articles. Mentoring of young people is nice when there is the opportunity. Playing with grandchildren. Trying to defeat aging by questioning supposed inevitabilities.
Don’t ever make it about just making progress towards the degree, as important as that is. Don’t overlook the meaning of sustainability, the need to make a difference, the importance of staying curious.