President of Ireland Affirms Value of the Humanities

The president of Ireland said that universities are facing "a moment of intellectual crisis" in which their purpose is in question, The Irish Times reported. In an address to the European University Association conference, President Michael D. Higgins warned against the reduction of the purpose of universities to "narrow professional training" and said that future generations would see a withdrawal from the humanities as a “betrayal of the purpose of education."

“If we wish to develop independent thinkers and questioning, engaged citizens, our universities must, while providing excellence in professional training, avoid an emphasis that is solely or exclusivity on that which is measurable and is demanded by short-term outcomes," Higgins said.