Education Department Poses a Dilemma for the College

To the Editor: John Dewey said: "What we want and need is education pure and simple, and we shall make surer and faster progress when we devote ourselves to finding out what education is and what conditions have to be satisfied in order that education may be a reality and not a name or slogan." Moreover, "the constant factors [in education] are the formation of ideas, acting upon ideas, observation of the conditions which result, and organization of facts and ideas for future use." When this cycle of learning is embraced by an entire community, it represents the essence of democracy and the core purpose of a liberal arts college. The education department is a century-old experiment.