It's not just multidisciplinary. There's very little divisiveness here - very little protecting of one's turf. These larger groupings of knowledge don't mean students are restricted to an interdisciplinary major field of study. The Academic Atmosphere Structure is only part of the story at Eckerd - atmosphere is even more important. We design experiments together.
Most students are able to handle very early on the real process of science.
My third book came out last fall. But what I appreciate so deeply here is that I don't have a publish or perish monkey on my back. I can publish at my own speed. An active, scholarly faculty that publishes, besides staying current, conveys a security that is contagious with the students. I've seen faculties elsewhere that activity and that confidence were absent, and it hurt the quality of the education.