Featured Graduate Student, May 2008
Matt Sayball

Interview:

What is your primary motivation for persevering through graduate school?
The integrity of democratic civilization and popular sovereignty requires per capita proficiency in the analysis of information. The quality of mainstream information seems directly related to the quality of the masses' ability to evaluate it. I am dedicated to the study, research, and instruction of logic, language, and related philosophical subfields because I am convinced that such activities increase listening and reading comprehension as well as our capacities for the clear articulation of our own ideas. When people are skilled in the evaluation of arguments and information, and when we consider a diverse range of perspectives, the result is a well-informed, active community atmosphere of tolerance and wisdom.

Do you think there is any value in social networking with other graduate students in non-related fields?
The value of networking with graduate students in other fields is tremendous. Graduate students, for the most part, lead incredibly stressful and demanding lifestyles. Conversing with graduate students on other fields allows me, on the one hand, opportunities to vent, and on the other, a chance to learn about how other people with different demands find ways to work efficiently and get things done.

Did your past experiences in life or education help prepare you for graduate school or did you have to develop different strategies to succeed?
My life has repeatedly taught me to stay focused on what is important and never to give up. The first part is the hardest, because what is important is not always clear. Now that I have set long-term goals for myself, what is most important to me is to pursue the completion of these goals. I learn about academic life more and more each day, and one thing that I have realized recently is that it is important to consider goals made in the past and revise them wherever appropriate.

Please describe your most meaningful academic relationship.
My most meaningful academic relationship to date was with my former mentor, Ferenc Altrichter, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Dr. Altrichter was not just an advisor. He skillfully extended to me the enormously high academic standards that he imposed on himself and that made him successful. I did about 36 credit hours of work under Dr. Altrichter, and there is no question that the skills I acquired while working with him will remain with me throughout my career.

What are your aspirations upon graduation?
Completion of the rigorous M.A. Program in Philosophy at Virginia Tech is by no means an easy goal to achieve, but this goal, for me, is a means to an even tougher goal, namely, a funded position in a solid Ph.D. program.

What do you feel is the greatest challenge that graduate students face and how have you dealt with this challenge?
The greatest challenge that graduate students face is finding a balance between professional and personal activities. Academic work always has further demands. We can always read another paper or book chapter. We can always spend another hour or two on our research. We can always work on journal or conference submissions. We can always spend a few more minutes with our students. But, if we do all these things, or even some of them, there is no time left to relax, clear our heads, sleep, etc.

How do you find balance between work, play, and your other non-academic responsibilities?
I don't. Balance is something I am still working on. Presently, my academic and non-academic responsibilities carry more weight than down-time and leisure. The bulk of my time is spent on sedentary activities. One short-term goal of mine is to create opportunities within my weekly schedule for sustained physical activity.

If travel to Mars happens in your lifetime, would you want to be one of the scientists on board? If yes, what would you contribute to the mission?
If travel to Mars happened in my lifetime, I would not be one of the researchers on board. I would not go because I prefer to spend my energy on our planet, which has much more to offer. In our celebrated legacy on Earth, we humans still have not learned how best to live within our environments, both ecological and social. I should much rather spend my time contributing to the improvement of sustainable life on Earth.

What is your favorite comfort food and why? How often do you consume it?
Miso soup is my favorite. I make myself miso soup just about every morning. The miso has live cultures which, no doubt, contribute to the biological activities occurring in my body. My mother raised my siblings and me according to a macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. I ate miso soup regularly as a kid, and maybe that's why I enjoy it so much now.

If you hadn't been admitted to graduate school, what do you think you would be doing right now?
If I hadn't been admitted to graduate school, I'd definitely be continuing to work on my application materials so that I could reapply until I did get in. Philosophy may be my chosen career, but it chose me. I declared majors in about seven departments before I even knew about philosophy. Once I found it, it was like finding an old friend.

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