Toledo Academics Announce GoPetition "A dream to work with."
Published on Jul 21, 2008
A campaign sponsored by concerned academics has had positive results at the University of Toledo, Ohio. Published in April, the petition calls on the university to uphold the values of a robust liberal arts education for all students in the Ohio system. Further calls have also been made to bolster the status of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toledo.
Faculty members agreed that, "We believe the 10-Year Plan for the university system is a positive development for the State and for our University. It clearly describes the centrality and value of a liberal arts education for all students in the Ohio system... Indeed, it quite clearly calls for a stable and strong core education in the liberal arts and humanities, with “areas of excellence” understood as complementary."
The petition has gained well over 900 supporters representing a wide cross section of students, academics and concerned citizens.
The campaign has resulted in constructive dialogue. According to one source,
"The chancellor reiterated his commitment to the liberal arts and repeated his claim that "areas of excellence" can also include the liberal arts. Though our point was that strong liberal arts core sustains areas of excellence, whether or not areas of excellence are in the liberal arts, we were reassured about the commitment to the liberal arts on the part of the chancellor."
In a final note, the petition's author reports "We regard our hopes and the steps we must take to realize them as more than vague aspirations but as preconditions for a vital, functioning university that lives up to the goals of a truly "higher" education. We thank all who support our efforts here at UT, and we thank those who support the value of the liberal arts to an increasingly professionalized university."
In a note to GoPetition, the campaign organizer commented,
"This site was a dream to work with. I am grateful for this service."
The GoPetition Eds
Faculty members agreed that, "We believe the 10-Year Plan for the university system is a positive development for the State and for our University. It clearly describes the centrality and value of a liberal arts education for all students in the Ohio system... Indeed, it quite clearly calls for a stable and strong core education in the liberal arts and humanities, with “areas of excellence” understood as complementary."The petition has gained well over 900 supporters representing a wide cross section of students, academics and concerned citizens.
The campaign has resulted in constructive dialogue. According to one source,
"The chancellor reiterated his commitment to the liberal arts and repeated his claim that "areas of excellence" can also include the liberal arts. Though our point was that strong liberal arts core sustains areas of excellence, whether or not areas of excellence are in the liberal arts, we were reassured about the commitment to the liberal arts on the part of the chancellor."
In a final note, the petition's author reports "We regard our hopes and the steps we must take to realize them as more than vague aspirations but as preconditions for a vital, functioning university that lives up to the goals of a truly "higher" education. We thank all who support our efforts here at UT, and we thank those who support the value of the liberal arts to an increasingly professionalized university."
In a note to GoPetition, the campaign organizer commented,
"This site was a dream to work with. I am grateful for this service."
The GoPetition Eds