The Eberly College Magazine, Spring 2008 - West Virginia University

LIFELONG
LEARNERS
by Sarah Braswell
For most people, college is a short-term experience, and
often one that they are ready to leave after four years.
But there are a few who never want it to end. For them,
learning is a lifelong endeavor, a privilege, not a chore.
Dr. David Fogarty and Dr. Norval Rasmussen are two
such lifelong learners.
Among the skills and attitudes the Eberly College tries
to develop in its students are the necessity and
excitement of lifelong learning. A characteristic of all
arts and sciences colleges is that special devotion to
learning and the life of the mind that never ought to go
out of style. Dr. Fogarty and Dr. Rasmussen are
quintessential liberal arts students. Both men are
Morgantown physicians who have sought to continue
their education throughout their careers by taking
college courses at WVU. Dr. Rasmussen is working on a
master’s degree in history, while Dr. Fogarty prefers to
take a variety of classes in history, religious studies, and
foreign languages.
“As an undergrad, I mostly took biology and chemistry
classes,” Fogarty recalled. “I felt like I didn’t have a broad
background, and I wanted to expand my horizons and
become well-rounded academically.”
After completing his undergraduate degree, Fogarty
attended dental school and then medical school, all at
WVU. He has been in private practice as a reconstructive
surgeon for 25 years.
In addition to his studies, he also travels frequently,
spending several months a year in foreign countries,
volunteering his surgical skills through an organization
he founded, Interplast WV. Most surgeries he performs
are to fix cleft palates and other facial deformities in
children who otherwise would not have access to this
level of medical care.
Though the 64-year-old father of seven has been retired
for 3 years, he feels that taking college courses helps him
Arts & Sciences | 16 | Spring 2008
Dr. David Fogarty
to stay young. He also feels that, as a non-traditional
student, he brings a different perspective to classes made
up mostly of young adults.
“Having traveled and gone to school for my whole life,
that brings another dimension to class. I also get to do
fun things like treating my whole Spanish class to lunch
at a Mexican restaurant,” he said.
Though he has accumulated more than 400 credit hours
at WVU, Fogarty has no plans to work toward another
degree. “Then I’d have to take things I don’t want to
take,” he laughed. He does plan to continue fitting a
class or two into his schedule for as long as he can.
Although he takes his classes seriously, one factor
certainly sets him apart from his classmates: he never
checks his final grade. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “This
is about the desire to learn. But of course it’s hard not to
want to look.”