U N I V E R S I T Y  O F  P I T T S B U R G H

 Volume VIII, Number 1

September 2002

Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award
Goldstein shares wealth of first-hand experience

I think that being yourself makes you a good teacher,” comments Donald Goldstein, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Teaching courses in international security, international history, comparative leadership, and policy analysis, Goldstein offers students a wealth of first-hand experience. A retired Air Force colonel, he served in the military for 22 years, leading troops in places like Korea, Viet Nam, and off the coast of Formosa. His distinctive experiences stretch from the past to the present. For example, he recently was a featured speaker at a high-level ceremony on the USS Harry Truman commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. He spent three days on the carrier and flew in an aircraft that reached 120 m.p.h. in three seconds, returning with more memories to enrich his courses.

“My experiences have given me a perspective that I can share with students,” he reflects. “If you’ve played the game, lived through it, you can teach better.” He adds that real-world issues also help students to learn. “Since September 11, many of the things we talk about have become real, not just history. Students have become more interested in history, American leadership and how policies are made.”
Goldstein (known as “Goldy”), in a characteristically outspoken manner, continues, “The secret to success is to realize that the student is the customer; therefore, you have to be relevant to the customer and change as the customer changes. I give them their money’s worth.” He feels that the way the new generation of college students has grown up on “MTV-type entertainment” has made it necessary to “use whatever tactics you can to make courses relevant.” One way he does this is to take students on field trips ranging from the Army Depot at Oakdale to a grueling 10-hour tour of Washington, D.C. (a tour known facetiously by students as the “death march”).
A characteristic of Goldstein’s students (most of whom are graduate students) is a strong desire to find jobs. “Since September 11 they want to work in government service—the Defense Department, the State Department, the CIA—and it’s my responsibility to help them. Therefore, I network, write letters, and provide references.” As a result, he has built a rapport with students, and after 28 years at Pitt has become a legend of sorts, regularly receiving letters and emails from former students working all over the globe.

Goldstein feels he benefits from the contrasting perspectives shared by the diverse age groups he teaches. In addition to his graduate students, Goldstein teaches undergraduate Honors College students. He describes “this younger population” as “more inquisitive and not as serious. They give me a new perspective.” Several times a year, he even presents mini-courses to senior citizens groups..
The author of numerous critically acclaimed and widely read books, Goldstein is acknowledged as an authority in military history. In demand as a consultant by national news media, he has received two Peabody awards for ABC-TV programs “Pearl Harbor: Two Hours that Changed the World” with David Brinkley and “D-Day: A Soldier’s Story” with Peter Jennings. He has appeared on numerous national programs — including the Fox News Channel, PBS, the History Channel, Good Morning America, the Today Show, and the Discovery Channel — and has consulted on many movies and television programs dealing with war.

However, Goldstein makes certain that his wealth of expertise is used within the context of a set of his practical “guiding principles” that he tries “to follow every day and in every class. Above all, I try to be fair, accessible, and to listen.”

A summary of Goldstein’s teaching philosophy would be incomplete without a mention of the sense of humor he infuses into his teaching. This lighthearted tone is evident on his Web page (www.pitt.edu/~goldy), which includes “My Sayings” (e.g., “You can argue with me but you know I’m right.”) and an ad for the Goldy T-shirt.

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