Letters to the Editor: 12/4/12

To the Editor,

Recent responses (Letters to the Editor on Nov. 27 and Nov. 30) to the controversial shift in the University Honors College philosophy reveal an alarming propensity to dismiss intellectual curiosity as a relic of an educational era that lacks relevance in a society ridden by recession and financial worry. Arguments that undergraduate education must reflect trends in the professionalization of education abound as students seek jobs in an increasingly competitive and global economy — and yet, such logic completely defies our knowledge of the past. It is no coincidence that the age of Enlightenment fostered an age of commerce, nor that federal investment in research spurred economic growth after the Second World War. In fact, since intellectual curiosity represents an ideal that is prerequisite to authentic human achievement, the cultivation of creativity and inquisitiveness among undergraduates should only be embraced more extensively in our present climate. So too must we celebrate the creative contributions of unconventional students, passionate about metallurgy or music, just as we laud those who excel at physics or history. The UHC, then, ought to serve as a haven for the sort of intellectual pursuit that allows students to ask deeper questions and to work independently toward solving academic and practical problems. This ideal stands in contrast to an emphasis on earning a high GPA and winning prestigious awards, items that build resumés but do little to guarantee the collective ability of our society to approach crises in new, creative ways. Any educational institution that claims a responsibility to society must therefore provide the circumstances critical for the development of keen, thoughtful minds ready to grapple with the questions and uncertainties of tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Naomi Latorraca

Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences