The observant reader will detect in this issue a certain classical flavor. As in Greek and Roman antiquities, mythologies, and long-dead white guys. The question is sometimes raised today about the relevance of these disciplines to a modern arts and sciences education. For what one opinion is worth, I think a significant exposure to classical studies remains central to the broad education we wish to provide for CLAS and UF students.
Colleges face a basic problem.
New information is growing at an astronomical pace, and yet the time frame allotted for a college education remains relatively fixed. And then there is the correctness factor. The Greeks and Romans have taken some major hits in this regard, given their pivotal role in defining Western Civilization. In the rush to incorporate into our academic canons the wisdom of the many other important societies, as certainly should be done, there is a danger of underestimating the still relevant contributions of the classics. Students just arriving on campus and faced with the decision of what major to declare may not think first of classics.