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THE GREAT IDEAS ONLINE A Syntopical Approach to the Great Books
ADLER, BORK JOIN ANTI-CORE REFORM GROUP by Meredith Klein / CWN News Editor
CHICAGO WEEKLY NEWS * Mortimer J. Adler [Photo] World-renowned educator Mortimer J. Adler and former judge Robert H. Bork have joined the Scholars for the University of Chicago, a group of alumni and former faculty protesting the changes made to the Common Core. The group has doubled in size since its formation in April. It will officially convene for the first time on June 4 to discuss a plan of action for fighting against Core changes. "The support of Mortimer Adler is particularly significant," said Jerry L. Martin, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, the organization that is sponsoring the Scholars for the U of C. "Adler is a living legend. He was a mentor to Chicago president Robert Hutchins and intellectual godfather of the Core. When Adler speaks, the Board should listen." During his distinguished career, Adler has served as editor-in-chief of the Great Books of the Western World and also as chairman of the board of editors for Encyclopaedia Britannica. He is also the co-founder and chairman of the Center for the Study of Great Ideas. Bork, a one time Supreme Court nominee, taught at Yale Law School and the University of Chicago Law School. * The Student Newspaper of the University of Chicago
ADLER, BORK JOIN SCHOLARS OPPOSED TO COLLEGE CHANGES
THE CHICAGO MAROON * The Scholars for the University of Chicago, a group of prominent academics who oppose changes to the Core Curriculum, urged the Board of Trustees to reconsider instituting adjustments to the College and halt current plans to decrease the number of required classes from 21 to 15 last Tuesday. According to President of the American Council of Trustees and alumnus Jerry Martin, the scholars have been consulting with University trustees confidentially to persuade them to abandon planned changes to the College. Now, both the Council and the group of scholars await a response from the Board. "Actually, the important action rests with the trustees themselves. Members of the Scholars for the U of C have been speaking privately with trustees... There are a number of trustees that are concerned, so we're hopeful. We've gotten their attention, so we're hopeful that they'll follow up on their concerns," Martin said. The group's most recent effort follows a letter that the scholars addressed to the Board last month criticizing the diminishment of the curriculum, writing that the "decision to cut Core requirements strikes at the heart of Chicago's distinctive undergraduate education." Coordinated by the ACTA, the Scholars for the University of Chicago has doubled in size and most recently gained membership from Mortimer Adler, renowned educator and co-founder of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas, and Judge Robert H. Bork. The addition of Adler proves particularly significant because of his involvement in drafting Chicago's curriculum, according to Martin. "Adler's joining is very dramatic -- he almost came out of the grave when he heard. He was the man present at the founding, who some have called the brains behind Hutchins, although I'm sure had Hutchins had brains of his own.... Adler really laid out the philosophical principles of the curriculum. Hutchins was the lawyer behind the curriculum, and Adler was behind its philosophy... He drew the fundamental conception of what liberal education is," Martin said. Furthermore, Martin said that Adler's participation in the group demonstrates the seriousness of the issue for the renowned educator, particularly since Adler usually chooses to remain uninvolved in such controversies. "Adler is normally a man who doesn't speak up on controversies... It's very unusual for him to break silence on this issue," Martin said. The group, which includes Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow and Harvard Professor David Riesman, is not only concerned with the changes to the University of Chicago, but the significance of such a development for higher education as a whole. "It's really because they esteem the University of Chicago so much that they hate to see it decline. They see the terrible neglect of undergraduate education at other institutions and I think they hate to see the University of Chicago become more like the others," said Martin, who an also an alum of the University. * The Chicago Maroon has been the independent student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892.
CRISIS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Prominent alumni and former teachers of the University of Chicago have signed the following petition, formulated by the American Council of Alumni and Trustees (ACTA). This petition was sent to the Trustees of the University of Chicago in April, 1999. Among the signers are Saul Bellow, a Nobel Laureate in literature, and Mortimer J. Adler, a prominent philosopher, who was a close associate of Robert Hutchins, the legendary president of the University of Chicago. We are asking that all concerned members endorse this petition and send a copy of this page to:
Mr. Edgar D. Jannotta ---------------------------------------------- Scholars for the University of Chicago Dear Trustees: No institution has better exemplified the life of the mind than the University of Chicago. It is tragic that it is now embarked on a course threatening to its distinctive mission. As scholars who have a past affiliation with the University -- as alumni or former faculty -- we urge that the board conduct a critical review before changes are made that may do lasting harm. The decision to cut core requirements strikes at the heart of Chicago's distinctive undergraduate education. Students themselves have objected to the idea that they would prefer less rigorous requirements. Enlarging enrollments for questionable financial reasons is dangerous. It may require lowering admissions standards, increasing class sizes, and turning more of the teaching over to graduate students and non-tenure-track faculty. At the same time, resources for research may be drained in order to meet these needs. Undergraduate education may have been eroded already. As of 1997-98, we understand only 40 percent of classes in the social science core were being taught by regular faculty, and only 43 percent in the humanities core. For foreign languages and mathematics, the numbers were even lower. The board of trustees should inquire about these trends and whether the new policy includes a commitment--backed by resources -- to small classes taught by regular faculty. Equally disturbing is the role marketing played in the changes. According to The New York Times, a Chicago vice president justified the changes by commenting, "I don't know how many students we can attract if we go after those who only seek the life of the mind." Changing the curriculum to attract less intellectual students jeopardizes the moral core of a great university. Making academic decisions on the basis of marketing is itself a crime against the mind. As former University of Chicago president Robert Maynard Hutchins once wrote, "It is sad but true that when an institution determines to do something in order to get money it must lose its soul, and it frequently does not get the money . . . I do not mean, of course, that universities do not need money and that they should not try to get it. I mean only that they should have an educational policy and then try to finance it, instead of letting financial accidents determine their educational policy." Our concern is not just for one university but for all of higher education. In recent years, as other institutions succumbed to the temptation of mediocrity, the University of Chicago stood firm, upholding a standard for excellence in the liberal arts and providing an inspiration for other colleges and universities. If Chicago now falters, other colleges will be encouraged to lower their standards as well. That is why, as friends of the university, we solemnly call on the Board of Trustees to take time to review the proposed changes, to consult with faculty, and to renew the university's historic commitment to high academic standards in the liberal arts. [signed]
Mortimer J. Adler, Center for the Study of The Great Ideas I, ____________________________ , endorse and agree with the above petition to the Board of Trustees. Signature: __________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________ City: ___________________ State: ________ ZIP: _____________ Concerned Friends of the University of Chicago http://www.realuofc.org
THE UNIVERSITY IN CRISIS For those of you who live in or near the greater Chicagoland area: You are cordially invited and encouraged to attend a panel discussion by distinguished faculty who will examine the controversy surrounding College expansion, cuts in the Common Core, and changes in graduate education.
Introduction by Adam Kissel
Wayne Booth
James Redfield
Marshall Sahlins
Herman Sinaiko
At the Kinahan Theater, 3rd Floor, Reynolds Club Saturday, June 5, 1999 - 12:15 p.m.- 1:45 p.m.
Concerned Friends of the University of Chicago
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