Letter of Gratitude to Coccia Institute

Dear Dr. Freda,

Once again I have enjoyed an event you have brought to the Montclair campus, and I thought it might be time to tell you so.

The Coccia Institute has been a breath of fresh air for the community and our campus. For a long time there has been a dogmatic quality to so much of university life in America. Instead of bringing in scholars, colleges often presented ideologues, and their words sounded like the words of an angry preacher who already knew the truth, instead of a scholar who was engaged in a search for truth.

The Coccia Institute has brought us genuine scholars who use logic, reason, and facts to bring understanding to a wide range of topics. There is a feeling of openness and joy to your speakers and events that students and my colleagues appreciate a great deal.

One of my favorite poems by W.B. Yeats has the line: “And wisdom is a butterfly – and not a gloomy bird of prey.” The Coccia Institute has brought this spirit to our campus and community.”

Thank You.

Sincerely,

George Zilbergeld, Montclair State University, Department of Political Science

PS I especially like the events the occur during the day or in the late afternoon, and if it is good for the institute I would like to see more of them.