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Correspondence

Oct. 20, 1986

Letter to Dr. Loebl about "A Moral Mission for Colleges" (1986)

The University General Education
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This letter relates to Rabbi Lamm’s 1986 New York Times op-ed titled “A Moral Mission for Colleges.”

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Correspondence

Exchange with Dr. Plunkett about "A Moral Mission for Colleges" (1986)

Dear Dr. Lamm: You are to be congratulated for your October 14th article on the moral mission of colleges. Your statement of the principles contained in your article was long overdue, and it was as clear and concise a message that I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. As the new Chairman of the Council of Governing Boards in New York State, I was particularly pleased to have the opportunity to reflect on your message and to circulate it to many of my fellow Trustees in the state. We hope to use your article and many of the thoughts contained therein as a foundation for some of the work that we hope to accomplish throughout the state in the years to come.Congratulations and best wishes.Sincerely yours,William F. Plunkett, Jr. WFP/td17 Elk StreetP.O. Box 7149Albany, NY 12224518/436
The University General Education

Correspondence

Exchange with Dr. Zack about "A Moral Mission for Colleges" (1986)

Dear President Lamm: I read your October 14 New York Times piece, "A Moral Mission for Colleges, with great interest. It was an exceptionally well-written piece, and one with which I disagree deeply. I have written a responding essay, "A Moral Mission for Colleges, 2nd Edition," which I am enclosing for your interest. I have submitted my thoughts to the Times (as well as to our local university paper.) However, regardless of whether it reaches that readership, I wanted to share them with you as well.Should you have any comments, I would be most happy to hear from you.SincerelyBrian G. Zack, M.D. University Physician(609) 452-4451BGZ:msA Moral Mission for Colleges, 2nd EditionBrian G. Zack, M.D.32 Stetson Way Princeton, NJ 98540 (609) 452-4451 - office (609) 924-6391 - homeNorman Lamm's essay, "A Moral Mission for Colleges" (The New York Times Op-Ed Page, Oct. 14) stands desperately in need of rebuttal. The eloquence of his pen and the depth of his feeling effectively disguise an argument which means nothing at best and which, at worst, is a call for moral indoctrination.Mr. Lamm asserts that today's universities are delinquent in not offering their students "moral guidance" and deplores their "permitting a generation of students to grow up as ethical illiterates and moral idiots." He maintains that universities should, and by implication currently don't, "encourage a moral climate that elicits respect for the human spirit," and solemnly declares that "knowledge ought to ripen into wisdom" and that "human beings... are certainly the purpose of education."In what sense is all this to be understood? The non-sectarian colleges and universities of today do not advocate a suspension of morality or teach disrespect for the human spirit. It would be exceedingly difficult to find an educator of any persuasion who felt that knowledge ought not to ripen into wisdom or that the purpose of education was anything but the elevation and enlightenment of human beings. At this level…
The University General Education

Correspondence

Letter from Milton Handler to Monroe Price about "A Moral Mission for Colleges" (1986)

Dear Monroe, I read with great interest Report #6 of the Council of Governing Boards containing Dr. Lamm’s address, “A Moral Mission for Colleges,” and I enthusiastically endorse his message. I have already raised with you the question of its applicability to the teaching of law at Cardozo. Dr. Lamm’s insistence on “the nature of the good life; truth and goodness and beauty; and the value of thought and reflection” resonates even more in the law school setting than in the undergraduate context, for the law must be grounded not only in precedent or pragmatism but also in enduring moral standards. Too often, legal doctrines have persisted despite their inherent unfairness, justified merely by precedent or by economic models such as those of the Chicago School. I believe Cardozo has the opportunity to create a distinctive program by embedding moral analysis into the study of law. I propose a course entitled “Law, Morals and Justice,” taught by case method, which would examine actual cases comparatively across legal systems and cultures, asking how moral considerations shape or should shape outcomes, and how they conform to the “eternal verities” Dr. Lamm describes. This would not be jurisprudence in the abstract nor simply professional ethics, but a rigorous engagement with the moral dimension of law. Such a course would require an imaginative scholar of broad culture and insight, and while I am too advanced in years to lead it, I stand ready to contribute whatever assistance I can. Felix Cohen once wrote that law without a theory of values is blind; Dr. Lamm’s call provides just such a guiding light. I look forward to your reactions. With kindest regards, Milton Handler.
The University General Education