To the Editor:
In Andy Schader's column "Grants Should Not Be Forsaken," (Mar. 28, 1995) the implication is made that Yale University needlessly squandered a $20 million gift due to a reluctance to increase funding for its Western civilization curriculum. Unfortunately, Schader seems to have ignored several essential facts concerning this matter in reaching his conclusions.
The delay in implementation of the gift was due largely to the fact that it was an extreme period of transition for the university, as the offices of president, dean of the college, and provost all changed hands during these four years. There were also concerns within the administration on how to add a new program while others were facing budget cuts.
However, the most important fact overlooked by Schader was that the donor, Lee Bass, demanded the right to approve the faculty members hired for the new courses. If Yale had bowed to this demand, regardless of the size of the gift, it would have opened the door for other such demands tied to future gifts. In commenting on this situation, Harvard president Neil L. Rudenstine stated: "Once you move over that line and begin to have donors that have the ability to direct which faculty will teach which courses, you have really lost an absolutely critical, fundamental part of the educational process ... were Harvard to find itself in a similar position ... we would have to take precisely the same point of view."
Western civilization courses continue to be a central part of a Yale education, as affirmed by president Richard C. Levin this week in a letter to alumni. Reluctance to add Western Civilization courses due to a fear of being perceived as ethnocentric was not the reason for the return of the Bass gift -- the desire to retain Yale's academic freedom was.
I am personally proud of my alma mater in this situation, as I feel it was a justified and courageous decision to return the Bass gift. In future columns, Schader should be more careful in considering all relevant facts before coming to his conclusions.
