Harvard in 1900 had only one required course — freshman composition — reflecting the faculty’s belief that writing was too important a skill to be left to caprice. After all, back in 1874 — 1874! — half of Harvard’s first-year students failed the entrance exam in writing.
I, for one, am convinced that the inability to write clearly, persuasively and analytically imposes a glass ceiling that will impede not only a student’s academic success but their professional advancement in the future. If we fail to help our undergraduates write effectively, we have butchered perhaps our biggest responsibility.
