An Open Letter to Claudine Gay
Dear Dean Gay:
Congratulations on your selection as the next president of Harvard.
Forgive any presumption on my part, but I cannot resist offering an opinion concerning a critical challenge you will face. From the outset of your tenure, I urge you to commit to a renaissance of Harvard College.
In 1945, President James B. Conant (class of 1913) wrote that the first priority for college education is preparing students for “life as a responsible human being and citizen.” I fear Harvard is falling short of meeting that goal.
As a resident scholar in Mather House, I talk to undergraduates every day who view Harvard as another rung to climb, another jewel on their résumé, rather than as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore human knowledge and give serious thought to where they wish to fit in the world. Four years at the College is regarded by too many students as a mere stepping stone to a well-paying job or to a top-flight graduate school in law, medicine, or business. They believe the status of attending the College counts for more than what they learn here.
About three-fifths of 2022 College grads decided to seek their fortune in finance, consulting, or tech. There are 50 concentrations at Harvard, but almost half of the Class of 2023 concentrates in one of five: economics, computer science, government, applied math, or neuroscience. The percentage of concentrators in the arts and humanities is down by half in a decade. Today, fewer than one in ten undergrads concentrate in an area of the arts or humanities—more students concentrate in computer science alone.
The university needs to do more to encourage intellectual adventurousness. The compulsion to make money combined with the recent decision to end Shopping Period will continue to discourage undergraduates from exploring less popular areas of study like history, English, art history, philosophy, classics, music, and languages. (The irony here is that studies show that in the long-run top humanities majors often out-earn STEM majors.) While any well-educated person in the 21st century must be numerate and tech savvy, do we want the arts and humanities to wither on the vine?
If its goal is to have its graduates rise to prominence in tech, consulting, and banking, if its goal is to ensure Harvard alumni outdo graduates of other universities in per capita income, then Harvard College is doing its job. If its goal is indeed to prepare students to lead a good life and to make the world a better place, it is falling short of its mission.
What Robert Kennedy (1947) said over half a century ago about using economic criteria to measure success is truer than ever:
The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.
Right now you are searching for your successor as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. I fervently wish that a renaissance for the College is placed at the top of their list of goals. I look forward to initiatives emanating from Massachusetts and University Halls that emphasize the importance to the College, to the university as a whole, and to the world at large of educating undergraduates to lead a “life as a responsible human being and citizen.”
Now, please don’t misunderstand me. Of course, the College does need to prepare its students for life in the working world. President Eliot himself acknowledged the need to ensure a “student’s competence in some occupation.” In the 21st century, I suspect Harvard College students will be best equipped for careers after graduation if they carry away from the College an inherent love of learning, the ability to attack new fields, intellectual curiosity, and the knack of asking the right questions.
The College started out as an institution to train ministers. Of course, I am delighted the College has moved away from sectarianism. Still, it’s time to retreat from “Crimson Careerism.” Many self-aware students understand they are riding on a never-ending carousel but don’t know how to get off it or even why they should. It’s not acceptable for college teachers and administrators to respond to this crisis with a metaphorical shrug because “that’s just the way things are in the 21st century United States.” The College should go back to its roots as a place for people to learn how to lead a full and rewarding life and to make the world a better place. Harvard College can and should play a critical role in educating citizens of tomorrow who will confront challenges like economic inequity, attacks on democracy, the spread of artificial intelligence, and climate change.
I do hope you and the new FAS dean will spearhead a movement to impart to Harvard College students that their future success should be measured not simply by dollars earned, but, even more important, by value imparted. I wish you years of achievements and fulfillment in your new position.
Yours sincerely,
Keith Raffel, AB 1972, JD 1977