BY MICHAEL FERGUSON
With great sadness we note the death on January 11 of Aaron Barlow, who served as a contributing editor to this blog and was the faculty editor of Academe magazine from 2013 to 2018. A professor of English at New York City College of Technology, Aaron brought wide-ranging interests in new media, educational technology, public intellectualism, and faculty activism to his work with Academe. He also did much to make Academe Blog what it is today, recruiting new contributors and overseeing a period of rapid growth in the blog’s readership. Most recently, Aaron’s thoughtfulness about pedagogy and compassion for students were in evidence in the series of pieces he wrote for Academe Blog last spring about the sudden shift to remote teaching during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aaron’s friends and City Tech colleagues provided the following remembrances of him.
“We first learn how to perform acts of kindness when we are young. As such, we come to understand that we are not islands, but, instead, are deeply connected to one another—are meant to be here for each other. In this way, we not only truly live but we also live on. Aaron embodied this way of living—giving, sharing, and nurturing all those he came into contact with. And, because he lived this way, every aspect of him is eternal and enduring. The very spirit of Aaron is massive. It looms large. Forever. We will always speak his name.”—Monique Ferrell
“At the end of another semester at City Tech, I ponder the enormous influence Aaron has had on my own writing instruction and life generally. Aaron always believed in treating his students with the utmost respect, taking the world of ideas seriously, and living courageously. At every opportunity, I seek to emulate his wise teachings.”—Mark Noonan
“Right now I am reading Aaron’s book Presence: Hope and 21st-Century American Academia. A copy from him was displayed on my desk at work, and I made sure to retrieve it during the one stealth visit to the office in these past months. It strikes me that the title sums up who he is at City Tech, and it seems, outside of the college, too, with good friends, with an international academic community, and of course with [his wife] Jan. He is always present, always offering hope and company to those who need it. As a full professor he has long had the ability to make other choices, but what he chose is to be present.”—Caroline Chamberlin Hellman
“The brilliance of Aaron’s life cannot be dimmed by the tragic circumstances of his death.”—Margaret Taeler
Those who wish to make donations in memory of Aaron Barlow are encouraged to contribute to the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Catskill Animal Sanctuary.
Michael Ferguson is the managing editor of Academe magazine.
I am extremely saddened to learn of the death of Aaron Barlow. He and I had a few disagreements on higher education and politics over the couple of years I “conversed” with him on various social media sites. But, as Leftists, we probably agreed on more things than we disagreed about. He often encouraged me to write for ACADEME and it was his influence that made me a regular contributor to Academic Blog. He will certainly be missed by me and countless others.
He was a model of thoughtfulness and kindness for us all. I will miss him.
I am so very sorry to hear about Aaron’s passing. I knew him for many years, starting with his stint as an adjunct at Long Island University in the 1990s. More recently, he was incredibly supportive of LIU faculty who had been locked out during contract negotiations in 2016, giving us a platform on the Academe blog and joining us in protests outside the campus. He was a kind, smart, committed colleague whose presence will be greatly missed.
This is hearbreaking. Aaron was a powerful voice for higher ed reform. I loved his passionate and thoughtful essays, and am so sad that he is gone. Thank you for letting us know.
My condolences to Aaron’s family and friends. Aaron was a great person to talk with and so kind!
Anyone ever beat Aaron at cards? Certainly not me. I said so long to him in Ouagadougou in 1986 and never thought that that would be the last time we spoke. I am fortunate to have shared a couple of epic road trips and a part of my life with him.