Faculty
Mark Osteen, Ph.D.
Mark Osteen, Ph.D., has lived a life following his many passions, leading him to wonderful and unexpected opportunities. Raised in Libby, Montana, he earned his B.A. in English and Philosophy along with his Master of Arts in English at the University of Montana. He completed his Ph.D. at Emory University before moving to Baltimore in 1988. Dr. Osteen has always had a passion for music. In Montana, he was lead singer of multiple rock and pop bands that toured the Pacific Northwest and southern Canada. When he came to Baltimore, he co-founded the Cold Spring Jazz Quartet, in which he plays saxophone and sings to this day; he also co-founded the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, a non-profit organization seeking to create more performance opportunities and enhance relationships in the Baltimore jazz community. As a professor of English at Loyola, Dr. Osteen loves the flexibility the subject offers and says he values the freedom to “invent themes and organize texts however I like,” which is key to keeping him excited about teaching. “It also encourages me to bring intellectual curiosity to the classroom.” He also teaches courses in film studies, an interdisciplinary minor. Dr. Osteen notes his most life-altering experience is being father to an autistic child. “[My son] Cameron forced me to examine and accept my own disabilities (and abilities) and helped me realize there are many valuable ways to be human. This is also the lesson all great art teaches us: how to be humane. That is why I became a professor—and that is the ethos I strive to instill in my students.”
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Loyola offers an education that constantly challenges students to think deeply about their values, direction, and ethics, and to balance aspiration with humility.