Lee, Marvin E. (1925-2023)
Date Updated
5-11-2023
Department
Economics
Academic Rank
Professor
Year Retired from SJSU
1992
Educational Background
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1960 Ph.D.
Columbia University, NY, 1951‑ 1953
University of California, Berkeley, 1950 AB
Champlain College, ACSNY, 1948
Teaching Experience
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1955-1960
Hofstra University, NY, 1960 1963
University of Houston, Summer 1961
San Jose State University, 1963-1993
Administrative and Professional Experience
Manager, New Haven Cold Storage and Warehouse.
Tax Revenue and Research Department, State of North Carolina (Researcher).
Amalgamated Clothing Workers, Southern Organizing Staff.
Selected Publications
Editor, California State Development Plan Program, State of California
"Taxation and Economic Development of the South," Tax Journal.
Files
Personal Commentary
I came to San Jose State University because of the commitment to teaching undergraduates in Economics and the Social Sciences. It offered me an opportunity to experiment in unique ways of teaching. Over those 30 years I taught some 12 to 15 different courses, mostly in history of economic thought and public policy. I had a grand time encouraging thousands of students to achieve goals they set for themselves in understanding a broad range of new ideas. My wife, a composition instructor whose own work takes a historical and social approach to literature, volunteered to help my students learn this complex material by trying to put it down in their own words, i.e., to learn by writing. Each week students wrote a short essay in class which they exchanged and on occasion read to the whole class. My four classes per term numbered 50‑60 students each and each paper was read by at least 3 other students in addition to a reader and the instructor. We proved to our satisfaction and others that college learning can be both demanding and fun, providing it involves all aspects of learning in a warm and creative environment. At San Jose State, some 15 to 20 thousand students over the years were participants in that experience with us. We thank them and the college for that opportunity.
Date Completed: 9/96
Adapted from: Biographies of Retired Faculty San Jose State University 1997: A Project of the Emeritus Faculty Association of San Jose State University. San Jose, CA: The University, 1997.