Thursday letters: College educationhas lost its values

My first academic experience at USC was in fall 1960; it was a disaster. After six months in the Army, I again took classes at USC; my grades were worse. It took three tough years of experiencing life to understand that neck-up work was far better than neck-down work. I earned three degrees from USC and taught for 43 years at five USC institutions.

Fifty-five years ago, a broad spectrum of core requirements made up about half of the hours necessary for graduation. About a quarter were in one’s major, with approximately a quarter of coursework taken in other fields. Students were encouraged to broaden their perspectives by taking courses in a myriad of disciplines.

Here is where I am in total agreement with the quite prescient Trenton R. Smith (“USC’s values? What values?” April 13). For more than a half-century, I have watched core requirements dwindle to about a quarter of the hours necessary for graduation, with elective coursework shrinking to about zero.

How did this happen? The powerful schools or departments — read, those with the most majors — continuously increased the number of courses required in their disciplines. These were always the schools or departments that could state: “We will prepare you for a job.”

Mission statement? Critical thinking? Oh, bother! What really matters is bean-counting: grants, presentations, committees, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Essays? Oh, bother! Testing? Do multiple-choice examinations prepare anyone to think?

Most importantly, how can any curriculum that omits humanities courses be said to be teaching values? Mr. Smith closes his letter with rapier-like sagacity: “After all, learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel. Or have we abandoned that belief, too?”

Aiken