To the Editor:
Would the business school that Dominic Mhiripiri '12 proposes ("Toward the Brown School of Business," Sept. 29) truly meet the needs of the Brown community? In 1764, the founders of the University created a charter that promised a school "to which the youth may freely resort for education in the vernacular and learned languages, and in the liberal arts and sciences," putting forth that such a liberal education was necessary for a life of "usefulness and reputation." Admittedly, times have changed — these days, when the very value of a liberal education is coming under question, the founders' language comes across as overly idealistic, perhaps better suited for a time when a university education was a luxury rather than an economic necessity.
Still, the mission of the University was and remains the holistic education of each student for the betterment of society. While a new business school might offer even more opportunities for Brown students to aid and participate in the community around them, I am wary of arguments that a bigger, sleeker, more powerful University would be able to broaden its reach without losing sight of its original goal. The Watson Institute for International Studies, for example, may attract world-class speakers, but international relations concentrators are still left with an under-staffed, over-crowded program without department-level support.
A greater focus on advanced degrees and business acumen will not serve the Brown community if in the process we lose the focus on undergraduate education that distinguishes a Brown education from that of any other school in the world.
Andrew Leber '12
Oct. 3
