Jan. 19 service will honor memory of Marvin Rosen

Whether challenging students with pointed questions in the classroom or engaging them in conversation over his own supper table, Marvin S. Rosen was first and foremost a teacher.

Over the course of nearly four decades at Northern Illinois University, the history professor with a dramatic flair—he was known to occasionally deliver impassioned lectures while standing atop his desk—touched the lives of thousands and thousands of students.

For more than a few, Professor Rosen's lessons had life-altering consequences.

"Marvin was a person who changed my life—saved my life when you really get down to it," says former student Jim Livingston, who now is a history professor himself at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "He was the most remarkable teacher I've ever seen."

A memorial service in honor of Professor Rosen, who died Nov. 15 at his home in DeKalb, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, in the Recital Hall of the Music Building. He taught at NIU from 1963 until his retirement in May 2001.

"He'll be missed in many ways," says George Spencer, chair of the NIU Department of History. In 1990, Spencer chose Rosen to serve as the department's first undergraduate adviser, a post he came to define over the next decade. It brought him into contact with thousands of students, in addition to those he taught in class.

"On the teaching side, Marvin was one of our stars," Spencer says. "He was the most dedicated, student-oriented teacher that I ever had in the department. That's why I chose him as adviser. If necessary, he would come in on Saturdays or during the evenings to talk with students."

Spencer says department surveys of students and alumni also pointed to Rosen's huge popularity. His unflinching and often non-conformist views—he was an unapologetic Marxist—gained him admirers and challenged students to examine their own beliefs.

"He had some radical views, but he never expected people to think his way," says Jeanine Clark, who is working toward her Ph.D. in history at NIU. "He just wanted to open up students' minds and give them a chance to look at things differently."

Clark says she was honored to serve as one of Rosen's teaching assistants. "He actually viewed it as a mentorship program," she says. "He took a genuine interest in guiding me to become a teacher—that was his true passion. He taught me to really listen to what students are saying. If you can figure out where the students are coming from, it's much easier to find an approach that works."

Colleagues also admired Rosen's ability to connect with students. "He was sort of famous for having this incredible enthusiasm for the classroom, standing on the table during lectures, so I've heard," NIU History Professor Jim Schmidt says. "The main thing is Marvin was just so dedicated—he thought teaching was about changing people's lives, not just passing along information."

Rutgers' Livingston was among the many beneficiaries. He arrived at NIU in 1971 after leaving another school and working briefly as a construction worker. Rosen helped convince Livingston to finish his undergraduate degree in English and to pursue graduate study in history. Livingston went on to earn both his master's degree and Ph.D. at NIU.

Livingston recalls a professor with a magnetic personality who within weeks would remember the names of all the students in a large lecture hall. He asked pointed questions, incorporated classical literature into the study of history and was generous with his time. He often invited students to his home.

"Undergraduates would complain to him about a toothache, and he would pay the dental bill," Livingston says.

Livingston says Rosen took him under his wing. The professor claimed he couldn't drive and hired his student as a chauffer. "Really, he was paying me so he could educate me," Livingston says. "He saw something in me that he thought could be developed. He did this with many, many people—I would say hundreds."

Livingston says he and his college classmates, including several who now live on the East Coast, plan to travel to DeKalb for the Jan. 19 memorial service. "Almost everyone I know from that 1970s era is coming back," he says. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The history department is establishing an endowment in Rosen's memory. Contributions should include a notation for the "History Department Rosen Endowment" and can be made out to the Northern Illinois University Foundation, 1425 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, IL 60115.

For more information and online giving instructions, visit http://www.niu.edu/acad/history/rosen.htm.