• "This is a short-sighted move, one that sets back the cause of liberal education in one of the country's important state universities."—Dr. Daniel Garber, Chair of Philosophy, Princeton University.
• "One cannot conceive of a leading university without a doctoral program in a field as central to learning and culture as philosophy is."—Dr. Michael Della Rocca, Chair of Philosophy, Yale University
• "NYU closed its doctoral program in philosophy in the early 1970's, during a fiscal crisis, and spent the next 25 years regretting its decision. The move saved the University very little money. And it quickly realized, what should have been obvious, that it could not aspire to be a self-respecting research university without a doctoral program in a core subject like philosophy. With much effort and expense in the intervening years, the program was finally revived in 1997...I would be very surprised if [UF's] proposal to close its doctoral program in philosophy turned out to be a smart one."—Dr. Paul Boghossian, Chair of Philosophy 1994-2004, New York University.
• "Since you [Pres. Machen] left Michigan, you have devoted your life to the effort to make good universities great. Do you really think a university can be great without a good philosophy department? And do you think a philosophy department at a research university can be good without a Ph.D. program? Florida faces great exigency and must cut its budget. While you [Pres. Machen] were at Michigan, the University also faced great exigency, as it has again recently. Was cutting the Philosophy Ph.D. program something you would have long contemplated as Provost of Michigan? I doubt it. I like to think that the proposed cut to Florida's Philosophy Ph.D. program has yet to come before your attention with sufficient vividness, since the document with the proposed cuts is large and complex. And I like to think that when it does you will see the wisdom of retaining the program."—Dr. Stephen Darwall, John Dewey Distinguished Professor, Chair of Philosophy 1988-1993 1999-2002, University of Michigan.
• "There is no leading research university in the United States without a PhD program in Philosophy. Please rethink this unfortunate decision."—Dr. Brian Leiter, Univ. Texas at Austin, (Editor, Philosophical Gourmet Report—leading survey of philosophy programs)
• "It is a grave error for the University of Florida to close its PhD program in philosophy. Over the years it has been an excellent program. A vibrant philosophy PhD program is needed for vibrant undergraduate programs in philosophy and the humanities and sciences in general...It will be embarrassing to Florida that its flagship university doesn't have a doctoral program in Philosophy and re-instituting the program will be enormously more expensive than maintaining the current program."—Dr. Barry Loewer, Chair of Philosophy, Rutgers University.
• "This is intellectually indefensible and, from what I've seen of budget figures at major universities, it probably doesn't make any fiscal sense either."— Dr. Rod Bertolet, Chair of Philosophy, Purdue University
• "The University of Florida cannot possibly aspire to be a serious research university without a PhD Program in Philosophy."—Dr. Peter Carruthers, Chair of Philosophy, University of Maryland.
•                                                                             Read A Thousand More...
• "I think [Philosophy] is really at the core of just about everything we do. If you study humanities or political systems or sciences in general, philosophy is really the mother ship from which all of these disciplines grow...If I were to start again as an undergraduate, I would major in philosophy."—Matthew Goldstein, chancellor of CUNY (The New York Times, April 6th).

• Increase in UF philosophy majors reflects national trend
  —The Independent Florida Alligator (Apr 6)
  
  Philosophy's growing popularity at UF is part of a nationwide trend...Faculty and students attribute the surge to a search for understanding in times of instability.
  
  "I think people find that philosophy helps them in pretty much every skill you can learn," [Joe Licata, president of UF's Undergraduate Philosophy Society,] said. "Anything that you want to do,...you have a greater appreciation for the details about whatever it is that you're doing."
  
  Read more...

• In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined
  —New York Times (Apr 4)
  
  Philosophy is being embraced...by a new generation of college students who are drawing modern-day lessons from the age-old discipline as they try to make sense of their world...
  
  "If I were to start again as an undergraduate, I would major in philosophy,” said Matthew Goldstein, the CUNY chancellor, who majored in mathematics and statistics. “I think that subject is really at the core of just about everything we do...[P]hilosophy is really the mother ship from which all of these disciplines grow."
  
  Read more...

• Our 2007-08 Colloquium series is over, but you can check out what you may have missed. Join us again for more philosophical reflection in our Fall Colloquium Series. Check back here later for details, or sign up for our (low volume) announcements email list (see below).

For a list of prior events, see our events backlist.

To receive email notification of philosophy events join our event email list. Write to <dept> and ask to be put on the departmental events list. UF undergraduates should ask to be placed on the undergraduate events list so that they can also receive notification of the activities of PhilSoc, the Undergraduate Philosophy Society.

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