Madam, - To one who has known, loved and been honoured by Trinity College Dublin for many years the proposals (described by John Downes, November 9th) to impose drastic changes upon the administration of the college are alarming.
Top-down, precipitate, authoritarian consolidations of departments and faculties by unelected functionaries remote from the tasks of teaching, study and writing would be contrary to the democratic traditions of the college embodied in the statutory rights of the fellows.
The oligarchic procedures offend against the intentions of the founders - to promote "learning, knowledge and civility" in subjects large and small, applied and pure, popular and unpopular, utilitarian and contemplative. Civility includes the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, without regard to social and economic engineering promoted by crassly materialistic politicians and bureaucrats.
The proposals are driven by panic at the reduction of the college's income from Government, but they guarantee no alleviation of the fiscal crisis. Indeed, they may deter potential benefactors, who may well be distressed by the spectacle of dirigiste sequestration of departmental assets in the interests of statistically stronger, but intellectually softer and more meretricious undertakings.
UCD has recently and splendidly celebrated the century-and-a-half since the founding of Newman's university. The principles of The Idea of a University are as pertinent now as they were then. It is manifest that those at present in charge at Trinity need to think more clearly about the true nature of a university aiming to be both of international standing and a beacon of humane enlightenment. - Yours, etc.,
GEORGE HUXLEY, Hon. Prof. TCD, Hon. Litt. D. Dublin, Church Enstone, Oxfordshire, England.