Excellence without a soul
by Bob on January 27, 2007
In 2006, Dr. Harry R. Lewis, a professor of Computer Science at Harvard, and an alumnus, published a book called "Excellence Without a Soul: How a Great University Forgot Education".
Its observations can be applied to many universities.
One is also reminded of a lesser known book from 1973, which was very controversial. It was written by a retired professor of Linguistics at City College of New York, Dr. Louis G. Heller. It was called "The death of the American university, with special reference to the collapse of City College of New York".
I knew the late Dr. Heller, too. He was an interesting but cantankerous linguist. He was most assuredly opinionated. He co-wrote an interesting monograph called "Parametric Linguistics" which I enjoyed studying and reading back in the day.
Since the 1970s, the model of higher education and the university has swivelled from the traditional medieval cathedral model to a modern business model, with multitudes of newly-created Vice Presidents with MBA's and all.
One used to be able to take sanctuary in a university, not surprisingly as much as Quasimodo did in Notre Dame in Paris, but as a refuge from the world and its worldy flings and mundane affairs. The university was somehow above it all, as it was the proverbial ivory tower. In many towns, it was protected from normal city laws. It had its own set of rules, like the military and the Church.
Now with the inevitable advent of on-line degrees, a much exaggerated use or mis-use of old-fashioned "distance learning", even the physical existence of the classrooms and campus is in jeopardy. Perhaps with online courses and virtual classrooms, even the existence of professors is being diminished.
Dr. Lewis worries about Harvard, the late Dr. Heller about CCNY, and I think we should all be concerned about the possible side effect of cheapening the value of education with adverts and overnight wet-ink diplomas.
Then, once again, one of my more astute and incisive university students once cautioned me that "nostalgia is a trap".
So it goes.