"At this juncture, Marken reminded the audience that "the liberal arts satisfy something distinctly human inside us, a craving to know that seems to be natural and innate; they are personally empowering - they give insight without experience ... We must see the liberal arts for what they are - a central way, however flawed, of making society smarter, more intelligent, more careful and thoughtful in areas that matter."
Fearing that it is already too late to change the course of university teaching, Marken told the audience, 'I was naive. I said too little and too late.'"(On Campus News|Marken says university teaching headed in some wrong directions)

:: note :: . . . Marken was one of my mentors . . . taught me one class (Irish Literature) . . . one class was a lifetime of learning . . . the passion of teaching, history, literature, poetry & life of art . . . every meeting since that class is filled with joy & respect . . .