"Presidents, deans, and professors rarely tell students simple truths, for example that the strategizing and diligence that got them into the college of their choice may not, if followed thoughtlessly, lead to an adult life they will find worth living." - Harry Lewis, Excellence Without a Soul, p.xiii

"The old ideal of a liberal education lives on in name only. No longer does Harvard teach the things that will free the human mind and spirit." - Harry Lewis, Excellence Without a Soul, p.253

Excellence Without a Soul is a book by Harry R. Lewis

Harry R. Lewis

Harry Roy Lewis is a Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Computer Science at Harvard University. He is also a Faculty Associate of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard...

, the former Dean of Harvard College

Harvard College

Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...

, that examines the state of America's universities and colleges with particular reference to Harvard

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

. It first appeared in 2006 as Excellence Without a Soul: How a Great University Forgot Education and subsequently in 2007, with a new subtitle, as Excellence Without a Soul: Does Liberal Education Have a Future? It attracted considerable attention because of its trenchant analysis of undergraduate education

Undergraduate education

Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...

, much of which was based on his experience as a Harvard administrator

Academic administration

An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities...

. It has been translated into Chinese

Standard Chinese

Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....

 and Korean

Korean language

Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...

.

External links

Official Website