Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Dr. Steven Sabat (Photo: Tyler Rogers)

What do you regard as your greatest academic success?
Having had the wonderful privilege of teaching Georgetown students for 31 years and having remained in contact with quite a few of them, some of whose children I have now taught is, perhaps, what I hold most dear.

What is your idea of happiness?
Doing what I can to improve the lives of others so that the world is better than it might have been had I not been born.

Who or what was the greatest influence in your life that led to your career?
My parents, who unfailingly encouraged me to find my own path, define my own good, and to give to others; my aunt, whose tragic illness and death at a young age inspired in me to do what I could to help people with brain damage; the excellent teachers I encountered from kindergarten through graduate school, who brought their subject matter to life and who gave me the best they had to offer; and the worst teachers I ever had, who taught me that if they could obtain an advanced degree and find a job teaching at the university level, then I surely could do so as well.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not a thing.

What do you enjoy about teaching?
Giving the people in my classes information that can improve their lives; seeing their faces light up with thought and appreciation; sharing with them aspects of the mystery and the beauty of human life; showing them that the joy of learning can last a lifetime; learning from them so that I can be a better teacher; feeling the great energy of possibility in the classroom, being completely exhausted at the end of the day, having expended tremendous energy in the classroom and in office hours with students, knowing that if I do my job to the best of my ability, I can have a positive effect on others’ lives long after I am gone.

Who are your favorite heroes/heroines in real life (and why)?
I don’t think I have a “favorite,” but there are many people whom I admire greatly and who have inspired me:

Jackie Robinson, who broke the segregation barrier in Major League Baseball, who was hated by many but who did not hate in return and who played the game beautifully.

Lou Gehrig, who faced death at a terribly young age with incredible grace and who focused on all he had to be grateful for in spite of his suffering.

Lucille DiBiase, my ninth grade science teacher, who taught us to “Keep the question mark”—that we should never stop questioning, including what are considered “accepted truths.”

J.K. Rowling, who has inspired young people to read for pleasure, whose creativity is astounding, and who remains an authentic, caring, generous, human being.

Edward R. Murrow, a great journalist who, among other things, stood up to then-Senator Joseph McCarthy with a voice of truth and reason, when few had the courage to do so.

Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, three college students who were civil rights workers in Mississippi in the summer of 1964 when they were murdered for their efforts.

My Mother and Father, for loving me and for doing all they could so that I could have in my life all that they couldn’t have in their own.

Who is your favorite musician?
Nadia Salerno Sonnenberg.

Who is your favorite thinker?
In modern times, Joseph Campbell.

What historical figure would you most like to meet and why?
There are too many to pick just one.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would eradicate ignorance.

If you could change one thing at Georgetown, what would it be?
I would multiply the size of the endowment by 50 so that many, many other wonderful things could happen, such as increasing the size of the full-time faculty and reducing the size of classes, and thereby enhance the Undergraduate Curriculum and the experience of Undergraduates at Georgetown in a variety of ways.

If you could come back to life as a plant/animal/thing, what would it be?
I’m not really interested in “coming back” as anything. I’d prefer to explore new vistas.

What is your favorite word?
Supercalifragilistickexpialidocious.

Otherwise, it would be Halcyon.

What, if you have one, is your phobia?
Being that a phobia is an irrational fear, I am not aware that I have any phobias as such. I am, however, quite rationally fearful of the increasing spread of ignorance in the world.

How do you have fun?
Teaching, writing, giving lectures to professional groups (Yes, I know that I do these things for a living, but these are among the ways in which I have fun. Why would I spend so much of my life doing these things if they weren’t fun to do?). In addition, spending with my daughter, with good friends, traveling, going to baseball games, concerts, museums, walking in a summer rain without an umbrella, watching sunsets and sunrises, listening to and playing music.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to your students?
Look for and find your bliss—find what gives you fulfillment, what brings you joy, and make it your vocation.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Aside from the above,

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,” and “ad astra per aspera.” Given to me by Mr. Gerald P. Dowd, my ninth grade guidance counselor.

What is your motto?
I cannot say that I have one.

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