By SOMDATTA SENGUPTAPublished March 13, 2008
For the head of the history department at Georgian Court University (GCU), Lakewood, Professor Claribel Young is a personification of what the institution stands for: education grounded in values and delivered with an affectionate smile.
“The value of any education is that it increases your ability to earn money but in Georgian Court in addition to that we also give you a value system,” Young said. “It comes from the Sisters of Mercy who founded this college. The five main values are compassion, integrity, justice, respect and service.” She said these values were not necessarily taught in class but were inculcated in the students through various activities and the ways they conducted themselves.
Young graduated from GCU in 1975, was back as an adjunct in 1976 and then has been full time since 1978. Her actual official title is Chair of the Dept. of History, Geography and Philosophy and it is reflective of her contribution to making Georgian Court what it is today.
Back to school
Born in New York, Young came to New Jersey when she was eight or nine years old. "My elementary school was a two-room school in Brick township, the building still exists. I got an excellent education and moved on to a regional high school," she said.
That was during World War II. After high school she married, had a family, worked at a variety of jobs as a young mother, worked for two newspapers and then went back to school.
As chair of the department, Young recalls that her decision to go back to school was quite accidental. It was the intention of accompanying her husband as he went back to school that helped her make her decision. “He was a little hesitant so I said I will go with him. As it turned out I finished, he didn’t," she said.
After GCU, Young got both her masters and doctoral degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in 1978 and 1989 respectively. There was a slight tussle between her desire whether to specialize in English or history as she entered graduate studies, but history won. "At Rutgers, I did my masters in British History and my Ph.D. in American History and have been teaching history at GCU for 30 years now," Young said.
What students learn
History isn't about memorizing facts, according to Young. It's about learning to navigate your way around information by perfecting research and analytical skills, she said.
"How students benefit from a graduate course in history is that they acquire a certain set of skills that enable them to move onto any career of their choice," Young said. "Most of my students have moved onto become lawyers, journalists, teachers and some have joined politics. It gives you a well-rounded background and many opportunities."
When in class, students learn how to make connections between what has happened in the past to what is happening now. "What do we learn from the past and how does it helps us understand our present," she said.
For example, her doctoral research was about the establishment of government in 17th century New Jersey. "That brought in my background in British history and American colonial history to understand how things in New Jersey worked," she said.
She actively continues to engage in making connections between her background in New Jersey history and projects that protect and preserve history locally. "I am a member of the Ocean County Historical Society, the Point Pleasant Historical Society, and the Toms River Seaport Society. I have also been an advisor to the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission," she said. That is just the tip of the iceberg when recounting Young's achievements in a career that spans three decades.
Now as the chair of the department, she actively encourages her students to follow their dreams and become active in their circle of work and family life.
"One of those Mercy values is to bring about social change and I do it through my students as they finish their school and become valuable citizens of their communities," Young said.
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