SYLLABI

 Course Catalogues (Part 2)

   Last year I wrote a piece about how the examination of descriptions of courses offered at universities, could be a useful way to determine what is being taught at them. I figured that the ones now offered might be quite different from the ones that once were, but I thought that finding and sifting through them would be rather difficult. That post can be read by clicking on the link above. 
   That post about "Course Catalogues" has attracted some attention. That is a surprise, but after reading it again, it is highly likely that the attraction was the mention of "Bird Courses," which are eagerly sought after, and not mentioned as such in "Course Catalogues".
   For those of you who now may have stumbled upon this post because of my mention of "Bird Courses," I will just say that there is nothing more offered about "Bird Courses."
  This post is about "Syllabi", as advertised, and to let you know that there is a way to "see" millions of them. Others had the idea that such documents would be a useful way to find out what was being offered, which is not the same thing as finding out what is actually being taught. Still, to find out what students are expected to read, what they have to write (or not) and whether they have to go to class and participate, would be one way to assess the university experience. And to find out, for example, if the place is a 'safe' or 'dangerous' one, intellectually speaking - to use criteria mentioned often these days. 
   If you are the rare reader who is interested in "Course Catalogues", not "Bird Courses," here is what you need to know to access a large number of them from over 6,000 universities. I will mention here that the actual syllabi are not offered, just the data they contain.

The Open Syllabus Project (OSP)
   Here is a description: 
The Open Syllabus Project (OSP) provides the first “big data” look at the primary activity of higher education: teaching.  It collects and analyzes millions of university syllabi to generate novel academic and public applications of the expertise embedded in these teaching choices.  This data has a wide range of uses in scholarly metrics, educational research, and the sociology of knowledge.  It supports the work of teachers, publishers, and librarians, and opens up new ways of connecting academic expertise to wider publics at a time when those connections are being attacked.  
   Here is the link to the "Open Syllabus". (There is also a Facebook page.)

   Before heading to the OSP, a look at the Wikipedia entry is useful. See, "Open Syllabus Project." Among the "Notable Findings" area you will see some examples of what people are looking for among the data. These days that includes not just information about the books and articles being used, but the colour or gender of the authors of them.

   For an article written when the OSP came out see: "What a Million Syllabuses Can Teach Us," By Joe Karaganis and David McClure, New York Times, Jan.22, 2016:
   "COLLEGE course syllabuses are curious documents. They represent the best efforts by faculty and instructors to distill human knowledge on a given subject into 14-week chunks. They structure the main activity of colleges and universities. And then, for the most part, they disappear. Some schools archive them, some don’t. Some syllabus archives are public, some aren’t. Some faculty members treat their syllabuses as trade secrets, others are happy to post them online. Despite the bureaucratization of higher education over the past few decades, syllabuses have escaped systematic treatment.
   Until now. Over the past two years, we and our partners at the Open Syllabus Project (based at the American Assembly at Columbia) have collected more than a million syllabuses from university websites. We have also begun to extract some of their key components — their metadata — starting with their dates, their schools, their fields of study and the texts that they assign…..
   Such data has many uses. For academics, for example, it offers a window onto something they generally know very little about: how widely their work is read."

   For an example of how the data are used, see this working paper and the brief summary offered:
   “Closed Classrooms? An Analysis of College Syllabi on Contentious Issues," John A. Shields, et al. Working Paper. July 10, 2025.
   “This essay shines a needed light on college classrooms by drawing on a unique database of college syllabi collected by the “Open Syllabus Project” (OSP). The OSP has amassed more than 27 million syllabi from around the world primarily by scraping them from university websites. They date as far back as 2008, though a majority are from the last ten years. Most of the data comes from universities in the United States, U.K., Canada, and Australia. And while the OSP doesn’t provide all of the raw data to scholars, it provides limited access via a searchable website and useful analytic tools to assess the data.”
   We used the OSP to explore how three contentious issues are being taught: racial bias in the American criminal justice system, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the ethics of abortion."
A copy of the 66pp pdf is available here.

Cancon:
   The syllabi of some Canadian universities are included. For the analytics relating to some of the syllabi at Western University, see here.
The Bonus:
   Princeton University Press has produced a book about this subject. Interestingly enough, it doesn't appear to be available at Western or many other Ontario university libraries. 
  Syllabus: The Remarkable, Unremarkable Document That Changes Everything, William Germano & Kit Nicholls.
   "Generations of teachers have built their classes around the course syllabus, a semester-long contract that spells out what each class meeting will focus on (readings, problem sets, case studies, experiments), and what the student has to turn in by a given date. But what does that way of thinking about the syllabus leave out—about our teaching and, more importantly, about our students’ learning?"

Alumni Matters

    Freedom of speech, freedom of expression and academic freedom are complicated concepts, but the premise of this post is a simple one: that there should be very few restrictions applied to speech on campuses. Although some may think that surely a defence of free speech is not necessary at colleges, which were constructed to discuss ideas, all ideas, not just a few of them, but that is not the case. The word "free" is now less associated with the word "speech", than words like, "hateful", "discriminatory", "deceitful" and even "blasphemous." Free speech is seen by many as a tool only for those in power and that the minimal harm caused by limiting the freedom of expression "is far outweighed by the benefit it provides to vulnerable groups and to the promotion of equality." 
   I don't agree and am bothered by the fact that the list of people effectively restricted from coming to speak at the campus close by, would be a very long one. And, I am not talking about just those who might want to discuss the political situation in the Middle East. 
  Although many students may not want to hear about ideas to which they are opposed and worry also about being 'harmed' by them, some alumni may feel differently. Apparently that is the case in the United States where the Alumni Free Speech Alliance, "exists to preserve the pursuit of truth in American Higher Education. We do this by empowering alumni of American colleges and universities to form and run independent alumni organizations that support free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at their alma mater."  

   This alumni alliance was formed in 2021 to protect the freedom of expression. I do not think there is such a group in Canada. If you want to start one, the information that follows should be useful. One can begin by looking at the websites of AFSA and FIRE - Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.  A couple of dozen alumni groups have joined the Alliance and their websites are provided. There is some redundancy and a few of the nascent ones have yet to create a website, but as they develop and their activities increase this could be a good resource for those interested in making their old campus a more interesting and inviting place.

                           ALUMNI FREE SPEECH ALLIANCE

Boston University (coming soon)
  Boston University Free Speech Alliance

Bucknell
https://www.opendiscoursecoalition.org/
  Open Discourse Coalition

   “Providing a variety of intellectual viewpoints at Bucknell University and beyond.”

Columbia
https://www.alumnifreespeechalliance.org/

   Alumni Free Speech Alliance
  “AFSA exists to organize, empower, and engage alumni to preserve the legacy of rational truth-seeking by securing free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at American colleges and universities.”

Cornell

https://www.cornellfreespeech.com/
  Free Speech Alliance
  WHAT WE DEFEND

"The Cornell Free Speech Alliance (CFSA) is an independent, non-partisan organization of Cornell alumni and faculty dedicated to protecting free expression, viewpoint diversity, and academic freedom at Cornell University. CFSA works to address speech suppression on campus and supports individuals facing infringements on their rights, urging Cornell to adopt stronger free speech protections and political nonpartisanship."

Dartmouth (coming)
  Dartmouth Free Speech Alliance

Davidson
https://www.dftdunite.org/

   “Davidsonians for Freedom of Thought and Discourse”

Furman

https://www.furman-free-speech.com/

   Furman Free Speech Alliance
  “ Friends of Furman is dedicated to promoting free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at Furman University. The Furman Free Speech Alliance is not affiliated with Furman University.

Harvard
https://harvardalumniforfreespeech.com/
  Harvard Alumni For Free Speech
  “Our purpose is to promote and strengthen free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity, both on campus and throughout the global Harvard-Radcliffe community. We hope to encourage all Harvard stakeholders who pursue freedom in speech and thought.”

James Madison (coming)
  Madison Cabinet For Free Speech

   “The alumni behind the Madison Cabinet came together because of their shared concerns about JMU’s restrictive speech codes, limited viewpoint diversity, and lack of transparency in university governance. Beyond speaking out about these issues, these graduates intend to petition the school to uphold its First Amendment obligations as a public university.”

Lafayette
  Alumni/Alumnae Coalition for Lafayette

Macalester 

https://www.macmods.org/
  Macalester Alumni of Moderation
  “ Macalester Alumni of Moderation believe a liberal arts education is enhanced by differing points of view shared freely on campus.”

MIT

https://www.mitfreespeech.org/

   MIT Free Speech Alliance
  “The MIT Free Speech Alliance, an independent nonprofit founded by Institute alumni, is a key voice in the fight to keep MIT a place for innovation and engagement with diverse perspectives. Since our founding we have supported speech-protective policies at MIT, including the adoption of MIT’s Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom and the elimination of DEI statements.”

MSU
https://michiganstateforfreespeech.org/

   Michigan State Alumni For Free Speech

   “Promoting free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity.”

Michigan Technological

https://huskiesforcommonsense.org/
  “Michigan Tech Alumni and Friends Supporting Free Speech and Critical Thinking”

Princeton

https://princetoniansforfreespeech.org/

   Princetonians For Free Speech
  “Fighting For Free Speech Alongside Princeton Alumni, Faculty & Students”

Stanford
https://www.stanfordfreespeech.org/
  Stanford Alumni For Free Speech and Critical Thinking

UCLA

https://www.ucla-free-speech.com/

   Bruin Alumni In Defense Of Free Speech

   “Promoting free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity.”

   “We are UCLA graduates reaching out to all Bruin alumni who are ready to take a stand against the erosion of free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity on our nation’s campuses; alumni who are dismayed at shout-down protests and violence against speech deemed offensive, faculty disciplined for pedagogical speech that challenges students’ political or cultural beliefs, and a campus culture that intimidates students into silence on controversial topics.”

University of California

https://calfsm.org/
  University of California Free Speech Alliance
  “The University of California Free Speech Alliance (UCSFA) works with the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA), American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), Cal's Faculty Freedom Caucus, and The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's (FIRE).”

University of Chicago (coming)
  University of Chicago Free Speech Alliance

University of North Carolina
https://www.uncafsa.org/
  UNC Free Speech Alliance
  “ Join UNC AFSA in promoting free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at UNC.”

University of Pennsylvania

https://www.pennfreespeech.org/
  University of Pennsylvania Alumni Free Speech Alliance

   “We are alumni of the University of Pennsylvania and want to let the university know that we believe in free speech as foundational principles for our alma mater.”

University of Virginia.

https://www.jeffersoncouncil.org/
  The Jefferson Council
  “Preserving Thomas Jefferson’s Legacy of Freedom and Excellence.”
  “The Jefferson Council is made up of a robust network of concerned and invested alumni who are committed to leading the University of Virginia back to Thomas Jefferson’s legacy of freedom and excellence.”

VMI
https://cadetnewspaper.org/

   Link is to The Cadet newspaper which is a member of the AFSA.

   “The Cadet Foundation is a proud and honored member of the Alumni Free Speech Alliance. On many campuses, students and faculty are attacked for exercising free speech. According to the FIRE survey, over 80 percent of students at schools surveyed said they self-censor in the classroom, on campus and online.”
   

Washington and Lee

https://www.thegeneralsredoubt.us/
  The Generals Redoubt
  “ A non-partisan organization committed to fostering open discussion and historical integrity. It aims to preserve the legacy of Washington and Lee University while providing a platform for alumni, students, and friends to engage in educational activities and dialogues. The organization also emphasizes its independence from political affiliations, ensuring a focus on historical understanding and free speech.”

Williams

https://www.williamsfreespeech.com/
  Williams Free Speech Alliance
  “The Williams Free Speech Alliance (WFSA) is a non-partisan organization founded by a group of Williams alumni in January 2023 to protect and promote Free Expression, Viewpoint Diversity, Institutional Neutrality, and Academic Freedom at Williams College.”

Wofford (coming)

https://www.alumniwoffordway.com/
  Alumni For the Wofford Way

Yale
https://fightforyale.com/

   Fight For Yale’s Future
  “Restoring Light and Truth. Fight for Yale’s Future was created to educate key stakeholders and members of the public about an ever-expanding series of troubling developments at Yale University, to stimulate debate about its mission and activities, and to hold its leadership accountable. 

We seek to empower alumni, students, faculty, staff, and other interested parties to speak out and take action to bring about necessary changes to restore light and truth at Yale.”

Other "Free Speech" Posts on MM

"Academic Freedom & Free Speech"
"Free Speech & Ontario Universities" 
"Cowards in Coventry"
"Dawkins Not Talking"

The Journal of Schenkerian Studies

 Little Journal ----Large Issues

   I have devoted several posts to the subject of journals which are basically about one person. That person is usually an author, but in this case the periodical is about the Austrian music theorist Heinrich Schenker who was also an author. The number of subscribers to it is much smaller than the number of words in this post which I hope to keep very short.
   I should, because I know even less about classical music than I do about a very large number of other subjects about which I know little. Plus, I can't read music or German and the title of this journal scares me as much as the word "calculus." I understand enough, however, to know that even a little magazine can get into big trouble, if it is located on a campus and the subject of race arises.
   The Journal of Schenkerian Studies is published at the Center for Schenkerian Studies at the University of North Texas. The Center is headed by Professor Timothy Jackson, a tenured professor of music theory. 
    Across the country at Hunter College there is a Professor Ewell, also a music professor, but a Black one, a colour that should be mentioned in this case. In 2019, he travelled to Columbus and addressed the Society for Music Theory. The title of the talk was "Music Theory's White Racial Frame" and apparently one doesn't have to know much about music theory to understand the major points made, that Schenker was a racist, a fact ignored by the Schenkerians, and that, to put it bluntly, classical music was too white.  Apparently he received a standing ovation, which is a rather rare thing at an academic conference. 
   This news reached Texas and it is fair to say Professor Jackson did not agree. He then did what should be done when such academic arguments develop -- issue a call for papers to debate the issue. Articles discussing the Ewell arguments were returned and published in The Journal of Schenkerian Studies. Some agreed with Professor Ewell and some did not. Professor Jackson did not. Apart from the Black/white arguments, there were some into which anti-semitism was injected to further complicate the attempt at discourse.(Schenker, who was Jewish, died in 1935 and his wife died ten years later in Theresienstadt.)
   The news generated about this polemical essay in a very small academic periodical, was considerable. It came to the attention of the graduate students in Texas as did the word "race" and, probably without reading the papers, many decided that even a tenured professor should be fired it he was a racist. Others piled on and there was a demand that he be terminated.
   Naturally the news was a nuisance for those in the administrative  wing at North Texas and, not surprisingly, Professor Jackson was removed as editor and generally ostracized from departmental matters. 
   Once again, Professor Jackson did not agree, feeling perhaps that he had been treated shoddily, and sued the UNT regents and others who had defamed him and violated his right to speak freely. The regents appealed, but a Texas Court of Appeals ruled in favour of Professor Jackson and the litigation continues. 
   To keep this short, this episode can be characterized simply as another cannon shot at another canon that is a construct of a different group of DWEMS - DWEMusicians. It illustrates that even a little academic single author journal with limited circulation can have a big impact. 

Sources: 
   For most, all of the information you will want can be found freely in the Wikipedia entries for Heinrich Schenker or the one for The Journal of Schenkerian Studies. To visit the scene of the crime, go to the UNT School of Music and the Division of Music History, Theory and Ethnomusicology where the Journal of Schenkerian Studies still exists, apparently in a suspended state.
   If you are willing to pay, start here: "Obscure Musicology Journal Sparks Battles Over Race and Free Speech: A scholar’s address about racism and music theory was met with a vituperative, personal response by a small journal. It faced calls to cease publishing," Michael Powell, NYT, Feb. 14, 2021. 
"A periodical devoted to the study of a long-dead European music theorist is an unlikely suspect to spark an explosive battle over race and free speech."

The Bonus: 
Professor Ewell's views are expressed in his recently published book which is available up at Western in the Music Library. Here is a description:
On Music Theory: And Making Music More Welcoming For Everyone.
"Since its inception in the mid-twentieth century, American music theory has been framed and taught almost exclusively by white men. As a result, whiteness and maleness are woven into the fabric of the field, and BIPOC music theorists face enormous hurdles due to their racial identities. In On Music Theory, Philip Ewell brings together autobiography, music theory and history, and theory and history of race in the United States to offer a black perspective on the state of music theory and to confront the field's white supremacist roots. Over the course of the book, Ewell undertakes a textbook analysis to unpack the mythologies of whiteness and western-ness with respect to music theory, and gives, for the first time, his perspective on the controversy surrounding the publication of volume 12 of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies. He speaks directly about the antiblackness of music theory and the antisemitism of classical music writ large and concludes by offering suggestions about how we move forward. Taking an explicitly antiracist approach to music theory, with this book Ewell begins to create a space in which those who have been marginalized in music theory can thrive." -- Back cover.

Survival of the Weakest

  It is my impression, which I think is shared by a few others, that more young people seem to be having psychological problems and that there is also a growing cohort of them with food allergies. Some may have both. If one assumes these things are true, the major question is why there are increasing numbers in each category.
  A few minor questions, likely to be raised by a skeptic or contrarian, have to do with the attempt to ascertain which of these psychological issues and dietary ones are more important than others. Psychological disabilities can be more difficult to diagnose and confirm than physical ones and there needs to be a distinction between actual food allergies and dietary preferences, such as, for example, those required for religious reasons. 
  University settings where young people abound, yield data about such things and here are two articles from campuses about, disabilities and dining. Both indicate that there are indeed more students signing up for clinical help and complaining about the dining halls. Whereas administrators used to be employed to mainly support the faculty and those working in the physical plant, now more are needed to attend to the mental problems of students. The increasing demand is affecting universities with decreasing budgets, which would be most of them here in Ontario.
  I am in the contrarian camp when it comes to the psychological issues as you may recall from my recent related post about, "Prevalence Inflation." (See also: "The PTSD Pandemic," and "STRESS - A Contrarian View.") About the increase in allergies, I am curious, but I think that many who complain about food have too much of it and that generally most things one chews on will not result in an anaphylactic shock.
  Here are the views of others. The first article is a Canadian one and it is followed by an American example, indicating the "disability problem" is also occurring there. The dietary issues follow. (The articles are not provided in full and the bolding is mine.)

Disabilities

"As Demand for Disability Accommodations in Universities Grows, Professors Contend With How to Handle Students’ Requests," Joe Friesen, The Globe and Mail, Dec. 27, 2024 (also the source for the graph.)

   "In Thomas Abrams’s second-year sociology course at Queen’s University in Kingston last year, about one-third of students were registered with the school’s disabilities office.
That means they were eligible for academic accommodations, which can apply to classroom delivery as well as assessment, and can range from more time on assignments to a semi-private room for exams and a memory cue sheet to assist them.
One-third of a single class might sound high, but it’s also increasingly the norm. More than 6,000 of the roughly 28,000 students at Queen’s last year (22 per cent) were approved for such accommodations by the disabilities office. Five years ago, it was about 2,250 students (9 per cent).....
“We are faced with a complex pedagogical, human rights, privacy, labour and psychological issue,” he said.
What’s happening at Queen’s is part of a trend that’s apparent across Ontario and the rest of Canada. The number of students registering with disabilities at universities has rapidly increased, causing resources to become strained. The shift has also raised questions about the fairness of accommodations and triggered frustration among professors who are unsure how to handle the volume of requests...."
Often, these students’ conditions aren’t physical or visible. Three-quarters of those registered with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) have a disability that is not physical: 33 per cent have a mental-health disability, 29 per cent have ADHD and 14 per cent have a learning disability. Most of the growth in accommodation requests across the province over the past decade has been in those three categories...."
An independent report commissioned by Queen’s to examine the university’s accommodations policies, prompted by the rapid increase in student needs and a desire to assess the fairness and adequacy of those policies, was released in June...."
   The report’s authors said they couldn’t discern the reason for the recent increase but described a perception across campus that Queen’s has been hit by a “tsunami” of students asking for accommodations."

  This is the article talking about the situation in the United States.

"Are Colleges Getting Disability Accommodations All Wrong?"

Higher ed’s maximally inclusive approach hurts those it attempts to help," Chronicle of Higher Education, By Alan Levinovitz September 25, 2024

"Disability accommodations in American higher education are skyrocketing. In the past decade, the proportion of colleges with more than 10 percent of students registered as disabled has quintupled, and accommodation requests have followed the same pattern. Despite increased staff and resources, disability-service providers are overwhelmed, and it’s common for a single staff member to be tasked with serving 500 students. Faculty are also reporting increased workloads as they find themselves continually adjusting teaching and assessment practices.

Providing an accessible education to everyone is a crucial civil-rights issue, one that went unaddressed in this country for far too long. Discrimination against people with disabilities was standard practice until the introduction of legal protections like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Without these protections, blind students would have no recourse if their community college failed to provide accessible versions of textbooks and library materials, and deaf students participating in online classes would not be entitled to closed-captioning. Even with robust laws in place, disabilities are frequently missed or dismissed, a problem compounded by racial and socioeconomic disparities.

Concern about the validity of surging accommodation requests may therefore seem misplaced. To a certain extent, the trend is a positive development: the product of increased awareness, better screening practices, and less institutional discrimination. We should worry about students’ rising rates of mental-health disorders, many disability advocates say, not the willingness of colleges to accommodate them.

However, a suite of acute, well-documented problems with disability accommodations demand attention. The data is clear, for instance, that a significant minority of diagnoses are fraudulent or mistaken. In many cases, there is no empirical basis for granting common accommodation requests like extended time or distraction-free testing. And there is further evidence that the current state of disability accommodation compounds inequities in student achievement, rather than alleviating them.

Students and instructors are rightfully concerned about fairness and compromised rigor. Resources are being misallocated to unproven interventions and students who don’t need them. Worst of all, the interventions may be harming some of the students they are intended to help, exacerbating their mental-health problems and setting them up for a lifetime of struggle.

Colleges have remained complacent about the status quo for a variety of reasons. Since they want to support students and avoid lawsuits, administrators are incentivized to pursue a maximally inclusive approach to accommodation. Disability advocates fear, understandably, that calling attention to these issues will result in public backlash, creating more stigma around disability and threatening hard-won rights. Outside of academe, alarmism about accommodations has been associated with ableism and culture wars. While researching this piece, multiple people refused to speak with me about their misgivings on the record. There is a chilling effect at work, resulting in a lopsided discussion that leaves educators, students, and the public poorly informed.

However understandable the reluctance to criticize disability accommodations, refusing to do so is antithetical to the mission of higher education. Inaction harms students both with and without disabilities, allows for continued misallocation of limited resources, and calls the integrity of our institutional practices into question. We have a duty to engage in even-handed, critical reflection and pursue necessary reforms — even when it makes us uncomfortable."

Dining

"The New Reality for College Dining Halls: Dozens of Dietary Restrictions:

A surge of students with allergies and special diets is challenging meal services and changing the shape of the campus cafeteria, Priya Krishna NYT - Sept. 5, 2023.

For the staff of the Michigan State University dining halls, serving roughly 27,000 students each semester has never been a picnic. But these days, the job involves an even bigger challenge: One in six of those students has an allergy or other dietary restriction. Just five years ago, it was one in eight.

Once upon a time, running a college meal service was fairly straightforward: Put out one entree, one dessert, maybe a salad bar. Today, dining halls must cater to a student body with increasingly varied and complicated needs and preferences.

Some 6.2 percent of adults in the United States have a food allergy, according to a 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that number reflects only medically diagnosed allergies, and doesn’t include all the restricted diets that many younger people are adopting.

Robert Landolphi, the assistant director of culinary operations at the University of Connecticut, said that two decades ago, “you had your handful of peanut and tree-nut allergies, and back then we had maybe two people with gluten-free diets.” Today, he said, more than 10 percent of those on meal plans have some sort of dietary restriction.

Several dining hall managers and dietitians said they do their best to meet each student’s needs, but acknowledged that it can be difficult and cost-prohibitive to accommodate all of them — especially the less-common requests....

At the University of Connecticut, Mr. Landolphi recalled a student who told him that for animal protein, he ate only fish heads, organ meats and bone broth — and that the dining hall should serve a similar menu, for the sake of student health."

There were many comments about this article. Here is one that I chose:

COMMENT:

"I am a school nurse and am just APPALLED by all of this.

Toughen up people!

True, there are those with life threatening food allergies  but for the most part whatever 'sensitivities' students may have can be taken care of with avoidance or a little Benadryl.

What it says loud and clear is that the parents, and their parenting, of this college generation were hovering too closely overhead making their kids afraid of everything, keeping everything TOO clean so their immune systems now are so untested and their anxiety levels are so high that they'll breakout in a rash over anything. 

It's just a precursor to how they're going to be handling the outside real world : Badly, quivering at every new experience that may cross their path.  And then, God help us all- and save us from the spoiled generation..in other words

GROW UP."

The Humanities and Universities

 Introduction:
   The broad subjects mentioned in the title of this post will not be covered since I already have too much information for the body of it. In short, I will briefly note that universities are under attack, underfunded (in Ontario) and the humanities are both under attack and underrated. As well, good news is in short supply, so I will offer some.
   I learned recently that a very generous donor had given $10 million to support the humanities at the University of North Carolina. He did so, because the humanities changed his life and a literature professor impressed him, even though he was a business major. Because I have to move on, you will find details about this Tar Heel donation at the tail end of what follows.
   When I read about the UNC donation, I was reminded that Western University here in London also had received $10 million which is to be used to support students in the Humanities. I had forgotten the details so I have gathered them here since it is highly likely you may have missed this significant announcement. The donor in this case is William Hodgins who grew up in London, went to Central and then through UWO. I am not sure whether Mr. Hodgins was impressed by a specific professor or Western generally, but he surely must have been impressed since he moved from London and Western many years ago and still left behind a large amount of money.  He certainly deserves to be remembered, so perhaps this reminder will help.

                                  A Homage to Bill Hodgins (1932- 2019)

Local Sources:

   In the Fall of 2022 there were two articles published about Hodgin's major gift to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Western University, and, it should be noted, it was not his first donation to the University.

1. “English Grad Bequeaths $10 M in Scholarships, Largest Gift Ever to Faculty of Arts and Humanities: Bill Hodgins, BA’54, remembered as a man ‘big in stature, with a heart to match’", By Keri Ferguson, Western News, September 28, 2022. A large portion of it is provided here:

"A Western English graduate who went on to become a preeminent figure in interior design has left $10 million to support students in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

William (Bill) Hodgins, BA’54, died in 2019, bestowing the faculty with its largest gift to date. His donation will fund more than 16 scholarships each year, in perpetuity.

The bequest extends the legacy of Hodgins’ contributions to his alma mater, honouring his mother Neen, who was unable to pursue her dream of studying English at Western because she couldn’t afford to do so. She worked hard to ensure it was a viable option for her son.

The first in his family to attend university, Hodgins embraced his Western experience as an English major, a cheerleader and member of the Purple Spur Spirit Club. As a donor, he wanted to give to others who otherwise couldn’t afford the same opportunity.

Through his first gift more than 15 years ago, Hodgins touched the lives of more than 90 students studying English at Western. Now his generosity will extend to students across all arts and humanities programs through additional merit and needs-based scholarships.

Hodgins’ bequest will generate $560,000 every year to support scholarships across the spectrum, helping high-achieving, first-generation, Indigenous and international students with financial need through entrance, continuing and graduate awards.

“Support for the arts and humanities has never been more vital,” said Western president Alan Shepard. “In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, humanities graduates bring empathy, imagination, perspective, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to the table. Bill’s generosity will open doors for students with diverse interests and backgrounds to pursue their passion and create positive change in the world. We are incredibly grateful to him for entrusting Western with this transformative gift.”

Hodgins found his English degree provided a strong footing for his career in residential design. He earned a reputation for creating thoughtful, comfortable and elegant interiors by working closely with his clients to understand their tastes and needs.

He shared his design approach with Stephen M. Salny, author of William Hodgins Interiors, noting, “My clients are very involved in the work we do, so their houses reflect their preferences. I do it for them, not for me.”

Hodgins is representative of what Michael Milde, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities sees in many alumni, who go on to careers in a vast variety of fields.

“We train the mind to face the world, with critical and creative thinking tied to communication skills that span the range of human expression,” Milde said. “This gives our students the ability to work and relate well with others, to put themselves imaginatively into another’s shoes and work toward solutions.”

Drawn to design

After graduating from Western, Hodgins went to England, where he worked for a British ambassador. He spent time in France before returning to Canada to work for the Hudson Bay Company in a management training program, and then in Montreal, designing brochures for Avon cosmetics.

At 30, he pursued his lifelong dream and applied to the Parsons School of Design in New York.

After graduating with honours in 1963, he worked as an assistant to design legends Sister Parish and Albert Hadley. He then moved to Boston, where, by his late 30s, he became president and owner of William Hodgins Inc., an interior design firm focused exclusively on residential design.

Long before the existence of the internet and online shopping, Hodgins travelled the world searching for the right pieces to suit the homes owned by a loyal list of clients, including American ambassadors and a Saudi prince.

Recognized as one of the “deans of American interior decoration,” and “the last of the great old-guard decorators,” Hodgins was inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of Fame in 1987 and was recognized as a designer of distinction by the American Society of Interior Designers for “his outstanding contributions toward achieving design excellence and advancing the profession of interior design.”

His residential commissions have been celebrated in the pages of Architectural Digest, House & Garden and House Beautiful, highlighting his signature pallets of whites, creams and jewel-toned lush furnishings. It is an aesthetic that stands the test of time, with his work appearing on countless Pinterest sites today.

Upon his passing, industry insiders lamented the loss of a design giant, but his colleagues commented most on the care Hodgins took with his clients, and how he expected those he mentored to take the same approach.

In addition to learning “the importance of antique furnishings coming up for auction, or quirky pieces that would be ‘just right’ for ‘Madame X,’” one wrote, “I learned (from him), importantly, of listening carefully to a client, what they were communicating and how they live, hope and dream.”

Another colleague observed how the six-foot-four Hodgins “gave generously to what he thought was right, with his time, consideration and financial resources. He expected the best from you for his clients. He was a big man in stature, with a heart to match.”

Jeff O’Hagan, vice-president (university advancement) agrees.

“What I remember most is Bill’s desire to help and make a difference. He was a fascinating, wonderful person and truly engaged with Western. We are fortunate to count him among our most generous, thoughtful alumni and grateful for the continued impact he will have on the lives of our students.”

Western will mark this donation with a celebration of the arts and humanities. The university will also name an outdoor study space in front of University College as a lasting memorial to Hodgins’ generous gift."

[ A list of scholarships funded by the estate of Willam Hodgins is included.]
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2. “Celebrated Alumnus Leaves Western University Landmark $10 Million Gift,” Jane Sims, The London Free Press, Sept. 29, 2022.

"Thursday, the university announced that Hodgins, who died in Boston at age 86 in 2019, left the largest gift ever to its Faculty of Arts and Humanities – $10-million that will fund 16 scholarships annually in perpetuity. The university said the bequest is so generous that it will generate $560,000 a year for scholarships.

They will be named after Hodgins’ mother, Neen Hodgins, who had a dream of studying English at Western, but couldn’t afford it.

His first financial gift to Western was 15 years ago and the university said that money has helped more than 90 English majors. His latest, final gift is so generous that Western is planning a celebration and to name an outdoor study space in front of University College in his honour.

Hodgins’ work has been celebrated in Architectural Digest, House and Garden and House Beautiful. He was inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of fame in 1987. The American Society of Interior Designers recognized him as a designer of distinction.

He was called one of the “deans of American interior decoration” and known for working closely with his clients, travelling the world to find the right pieces. He was known for working in classic white and cream pallets, complemented by bright furniture.

“My clients are very involved in the work we do, so their houses reflect their preferences,” he told the author of William Hodgins Interiors. “I do it for them, not for me.”

That sentiment reflects his generosity to Western. Hodgins was born in Peru, where his father worked for Standard Oil. He was raised in London and became the first member of his family to attend Western University, where he graduated in 1954 with a degree in English.

At Western, he was a cheerleader and a member of the Purple Spur Spirit Club.

After graduation, he moved to England where he worked for a British ambassador, then spent time in France before returning to Canada to enter a management training program with the Hudson’s Bay Company. He landed in Montreal where he designed Avon cosmetics brochures.

His dream was interior design and, at age 30, he applied to the Parsons School of Design in New York. He graduated with honours in 1963 and worked as an assistant to Sister Parish and Albert Hadley before opening up his own design firm when he was in his late 30s.

The scholarships will support “high achieving, first-generation, Indigenous and international students with financial need through entrance, continuing and graduate awards.”

Western’s president, Alan Shepard, said in a statement: “Support for the arts and humanities has never been more vital. In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, humanities graduates bring empathy, imagination, perspective, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to the table. Bill’s generosity will open doors for students with diverse interests and backgrounds to pursue their passion and create positive change in the world.”

Added Shepard: “We are incredibly grateful to him for entrusting Western with this transformative gift.” "

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Obituaries: 

1. “William Hodgins, AD100 Decorator and Champion of Pastels, Has Died,” Madeleine Luckel, Architectural Digest, Sept. 26, 2019.

2. “Hall of Fame Member William Lewis Hodgins Dies at 86,” Interior Design, Sept. 30, 2019.
"William Lewis Hodgins, who established his interior design firm in 1968 in Boston and earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading residential designers, died on September 24 at his home in Massachusetts. He was 86.

Hodgins, a native of Canada, attended Western University in London, Ontario, and later Parsons School of Design in New York. Upon graduation, he went to work as an assistant to “Sister” Parish and Albert Hadley at Parish-Hadley Associates, before moving to Boston and founding William Hodgins Incorporated.

Inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of Fame in 1987, Hodgins was known for crafting classic, elegant interiors for a roster of clients, including Elizabeth and Felix Rohatyn, Linda and Robert Taubman, and the three sisters of Annette de la Renta. The 2013 monogram,William Hodgins Interiors, featured nearly 40 of his residential commissions.

Hodgins’s celebrated style—a mostly white and cream palette paired with plush furnishings—exemplified old-guard glamour and in 2001 he was named a Designer of Distinction by the American Society of Interior Designers, one of its most prestigious awards celebrating individuals who have achieved design excellence and advanced the profession. Hodgins was also inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame in 2007.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, Oct. 11 at 11:00am in the Bigelow Chapel of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge."

 
3. “William Hodgins Obituary” Legacy, Published in the Boston Globe, Sept.28-30, 2019

"HODGINS, William L. One of the country's leading interior decorators, died peacefully at home September 24 at the age of 86. Born in Peru, where his father worked for Standard Oil, and raised in London, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Hodgins attended Western University in London, Ontario, and after some traveling went on to Parsons School of Design in NYC. Upon graduation, he worked as an assistant to Sister Parish and Albert Hadley at the Parish-Hadley firm prior to moving to Boston to establish his own firm, William Hodgins Incorporated. Mr. Hodgins was inducted into Interior Design magazine's Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2001, the American Society of Interior Designers named him the Designer of Distinction, one of ASID's most prestigious awards. The award recognizes an ASID professional interior designer who has made outstanding contributions toward achieving design excellence and advancing the profession of interior design. And in 2007, Hodgins was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame. He is survived by many friends, clients and several loyal and devoted associates who have worked with him for many years. Predeceased by his brother, Alec T. Hodgins from Lake Tahoe, and survived by his nephew Daniel Hodgins & wife Sara (Working) and their two children, Reno, NV. Funeral Mass will be held Friday, October 11 at 11:00 am in the Bigelow Chapel of Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge.

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Sources:

   The book shown above is an essential source and the photographs of Hodgins were taken from it. A copy is available in the Weldon Library at Western and it can be purchased from Amazon where this description is provided:

"A lavish look at the work, over nearly half a century, of one of the last of the great old-guard decorators.

One of the deans of American interior decoration, William Hodgins follows in the footsteps of the legendary Billy Baldwin and also Sister Parish and Albert Hadley, for whom he worked early in his career. Based in Boston since the late 1960s, Hodgins’s work encompasses residential commissions from New England to Florida, as far west as California, and overseas. His interiors have been celebrated in the pages of Architectural Digest, House & Garden, House Beautiful, and other magazines and books. This is the first publication entirely devoted to his oeuvre, which spans five decades.

Hodgins’s rooms are beautiful, thoughtful, and poetic; they are airy, light-filled spaces. They are also, in his words, as “extraordinarily luxurious as they can be in a quiet, understated way.” Handsome architectural detailing and a soothing palette work their magic and create visual flow; Hodgins is a master artist, his designs reminiscent of Merchant-Ivory films. A Hodgins interior is governed by white, and the decorator invokes the slightest of subtleties and different shades of white. For Hodgins, whites “reflect the quality of life and light in a room.” They “glow behind the art and furniture,” are restful, timeless, and age gracefully. Yet Hodgins is also noted for his judicious use of exquisitely clear and jewel-like colors: this skillful combination makes his interiors special, inviting, and comfortable.

Among the forty notable commissions covered in this generously illustrated book are the private quarters of the American ambassador’s residence in Paris (1997), a pied-a-terre in a 1920s Beaux-Arts apartment building on San Francisco’s Nob Hill, several prewar cooperative apartments in New York City, and a considerable number of houses and apartments in the Boston and Washington, DC, areas and in Palm Beach, Florida. The majority of his commissions have been carried out for repeat and loyal clients, many of whom have commissioned him to decorate multiple homes. This presentation of his work will be valued not only by professional decorators but also by everyone seeking the best in interior design."

Reviews of the Book:

1.“Editor’s Miscellany: William Hodgins Collected at Last,” by Kyle Hoepner  New England Home, Oct. 24, 2013. A good review with excellent pictures. It begins this way:

"This past Sunday, a hefty portion of Boston’s design world and many past clients came together at the Taj Boston hotel to honor William Hodgins, without question the Éminence grise of New England interior designers."

2. “A New Book Spotlights the Interiors of William Hodgins: A New Monograph Explores the AD 100 Designer’s Great White Ways,” Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, Sept. 30, 2013.

 "Bold hues are not often found in the rooms decorated by William Hodgins. Though the Boston-based designer peppers his interiors with robust wood and lacquer furnishings, it is his assured handling of neutrals throughout his half-century-long career that has made him an undisputed master of soulful elegance.

Thirty-four peaceful, uncluttered spaces he created from 1979 to 2010 are featured in William Hodgins Interiors (W. W. Norton, December), the first book devoted to his work, by writer Stephen M. Salny (who has penned volumes on architect David Adler and his decorator sister, Frances Elkins). The 320-page monograph is a paean to pallor—though, as the author points out, Hodgins “is also well-known for his understanding and judicious use of exquisitely clear and jewel-like colors,” which gently enliven his low-key schemes. Earthy textures, such as the worn paint of a Louis XVI fauteuil, say, or a wicker log basket, play an important role in the designer’s oeuvre, too, and subtle details, like baseboards as tall as ten inches, give his rooms a confident backdrop. “I never like just filling a room with furniture and accessories—I like to make the shell right first,” Hodgins says.

Born in Peru and raised in Canada, the designer opened his acclaimed firm in Boston in 1969, following stints selling ladies’ shoes at a department store, running errands for British MPs, producing brochures for Avon, and serving as an assistant at the storied decorating firm Parish-Hadley. Today, at 80, Hodgins is a discreet grandee in a world of superstar designers, with clients both blue-blooded (Annette de la Renta’s sisters Charlene Engelhard, Sophie Engelhard, and Sally Pingree) and boldface (financier Felix Rohatyn). Add a Saudi prince and a couple of Washington Post Grahams, and you’ve got a set of powerful patrons whose lives this courtly gentleman has significantly influenced—with curiously little fanfare.

Which is precisely how Hodgins likes it. “My clients are very involved in the work we do, so their houses reflect their preferences,” he says, adding, “I do it for them, not for me.”

Hodgins at UWO: Pictures from Occidentalia, 1953-1954:

   

The Tar Heel Donation (golf fans will appreciate this)

"$10 million gift seeks to ignite a ‘Humanities Renaissance’ at Carolina

Stephen H. Israel’s gift will provide full Honors Carolina scholarships for undergraduates majoring in the liberal arts," By University Development, Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

"A major gift from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumnus Stephen H. Israel ’66, Vice Chairman Emeritus of Korn Ferry, will provide full Honors Carolina scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a major in the humanities, whether they came in with this intent or were undecided as to their major and discovered the value of broadening their lives and opportunities by way of a liberal arts education....

Steve Israel established the scholarship in honor of the late Professor O.B. Hardison ’50, whose literature courses changed his life. Hardison was a Renaissance scholar in the department of English who later became director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.  

“I started as a business major, but unexpectedly during my junior year, I took Hardison’s courses on John Milton and the Renaissance in English Literature, and my world changed forever,” Israel said. “A well-rounded liberal arts education is so crucially important today. I see evidence of it all around in my work. Studying the humanities instills wisdom, discernment, strong communication skills and good character no matter the career choice. My liberal arts education at Carolina expanded my world and my life. All Carolina graduates should have that opportunity as well.”