Talk:Ernest Nagel

professor since?
"in 1967, he became a University Professor." the columbia encyclopedia says it was 1955. which is right?


 * Most likely 1955 was either when Nagel became a full professor or when he was appointed to a named chair. At Columbia, "University Professor" is a higher rank than professor and is awarded only to faculty members at the very top of their fields.  When Nagel attained this rank in 1967, he succeeded I. I. Rabi, who was the first University Professor in Columbia's history when he was appointed in 1964.  In 1967 Columbia probably allowed no more than two University Professors at a time, though that number has increased over the years and now stands at twelve.  Other University Professors in the late 1960s were Jacques Barzun and Lionel Trilling.

Czech-American?
Nagel is referred to as "Czech-American," but I'm not sure where the "Czech" part arises. He was born in Austro-Hungary, in what is now Slovakia, and his mother's last name is clearly German, while I believe "Nagel" is German as well (the word for "nail"). GeneCallahan (talk) 14:23, 2 November 2010 (UTC)