Daryn Lehoux, Department Head of Classics and Archaeology, recently addressed Queen’s budget crisis by reflecting on the value of Humanities (and liberal arts programs more generally) for the university. He writes:

In response to the press we’ve been getting this last couple of weeks, some people have been saying to me that at some level the university is a business and that businesses need to maximize profit wherever they can. But I will stress this to my last breath: a university is NOT like a business. There’s a really important added benefit at a university. Education is a value, and education has value, all by itself. That’s it. That’s the deal. We’re educating citizens to think critically and to participate intelligently in our democracy, in our society, in our world. And if money and money alone now takes priority at Queen’s—one of Canada’s foremost research and teaching institutions—then it’s coming for all of us and all of our values, not just education. Our country and our world are in deep trouble.

Daryn Lehoux, Department Head, Classics and Archaeology, Queen’s University

Find the rest on the Department of Classics and Archeology’s website. It is well worth the read!