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What Purpose Do the Humanities Serve?

Search the word “humanities” online and up pops the phrase “humanities under attack.” The majority of undergraduates today are majoring in business, science and technology disciplines. Technology—and its promise of being able to fix all problems—is, it seems, king.What does all this mean for higher education? Why have the humanities undergone a crisis of legitimacy? And why does this matter?We asked four former university presidents—of Clemson University, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin and Virginia Tech—to give us their perspectives on these questions.