Alumni Examine Core

After sampling Core Curriculum courses, meeting with students, and listening to professors this weekend, many Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) directors had mixed feelings about the Core.

The HAA fall conference drew 300 crimson graduates and their spouses back to Cambridge Thursday, for a weekend of meetings. But the directors also wanted to examine the recently developed Core Curriculum, said Joanne Woods, an HAA assistant director.

While most directors approved of Harvard's emphasis on ten general "modes of inquiry" for all undergraduates, they had reservations concerning the Core requirement's restrictiveness as well as its future.

"I'm impressed with the variety of courses and the caliber of professors. The main reservation I would have is that in some cases the Core may present some real scheduling problems for students who change their concentration," said Alice Mary Talbot '60, HAA First Vice President.

Rony Sebok '83, a member of the newly formed Recent Graduate Committee, said she never fully understood why certain courses were not selected for the Core. "It would be nice to be able to petition for some courses to count for the Core," she said.

"You have so many required courses now that some students may be unable to take some of the survey courses," said Patricia Davidson, a graduate of the Education school.

Arthur F. Koskinas '44, president of the Harvard Club of Worcester, was more concerned with the future of the Core program than with its present success. Koskinas said that in light of obvious competition with other Harvard departments, as well as many demands on professors, the Core may eventually lose some of its big names.

Despite acknowledging drawbacks and expressing criticisms about the Core program, many alumni were genuinely impressed.

Talbot, who sat in on Stephen J. Gould's "History of the Earth and of Life" Friday, left the lecture convinced that "Gould wasn't just teaching about geology. He was encouraging students to analyze ideas...critically."

The Core "is a more structured curriculum which I think I myself might have benefited from. I know I missed out on some experiences," Talbot said.