To the Editor:
With so many colleges and universities reducing their support for the humanities in the midst of this recession, I was delighted to see President Jim Yong Kim reaffirm Dartmouth's historical role as a leader in the liberal arts in his October 9 Faculty Chalk Talk lecture ("Kim lauds College's focus on liberal arts," Oct. 11).
It is a mistake to believe that the critical reading, thinking, and communication skills fostered by the study of languages, literature or history have less importance in our society than computer science or biology. The ability to connect knowledge from across a range of disciplines is sorely needed and leads to inquiry, innovation, and effective problem-solving.
The study of the liberal arts teaches students to reason, analyze, and evaluate. As a surgeon who majored in German, those skills have served me well.
Rick Silverman '81
