Simple and practical - go for it.
Small detail improvements:
To make it internationally palatable - I'd probably drop the "in the
UK and elsewhere".
I'd "flatter" the recipient into a response. "Many universities and
academic institutions like yours ... "
The personal touch - I'd swap out the "vice-chancellor" for whatever
the appropriate title for the given recipient at the given
instititution - we don't want it to look like our contribution to the
mountain of spam.
Regards
Ian
On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 12:01 PM, Nicholas
Maxwell<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Friend of Wisdom,
>
> I have a proposal for a FoW Campaign that
> I would like you to consider. The idea is this. We send a letter, or an
> email, to vice-chancellors or vice-presidents of universities - perhaps
> initially in the UK - pointing out that humanity faces grave global
> problems, and asking what is being done in your university to help solve the
> problems. We explain that we hope to produce a report on the matter, and we
> would like to include an account of steps being taken at your university in
> our report.
>
> Here is a draft of the letter, or email,
> that we might send.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Dear Vice-Chancellor,
>
> We face grave global problems of poverty,
> injustice, war, environmental degradation, unsustainable economic
> development, population growth, rapid extinction of other species, the AIDS
> epidemic, lack of enlightened political leadership – and the greatest menace
> of all: climate change. Increasingly, academics ask whether Universities
> are doing enough to help humanity learn how to tackle these global problems
> intelligently, effectively and humanely. Acquiring relevant knowledge and
> technological know-how is vital but insufficient. Universities also need to
> develop and assess policies designed, if implemented, to help solve our
> global problems. They also need to engage in far more active public
> education, by means of discussion and debate. Universities need to seek and
> promote wisdom, and not just acquire knowledge. Many universities in the UK
> and elsewhere are introducing changes so as to help humanity tackle global
> problems more effectively: see the attached article "Are Universities
> Undergoing an Intellectual Revolution?".
>
> I would be very grateful if you could send me
> a summary of changes that have been made at your university in the last five
> years or so along these lines. I belong to an organization called Friends
> of Wisdom which campaigns for academic change. We hope to publish a Report
> on developments now going on in universities of the kind indicated, and we
> would very much like to include an account of those that have occurred, or
> are planned, in your university.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Nicholas Maxwell
> (Emeritus Reader at University College London)
> (Friends of Wisdom: http://www.knowledgetowisdom.org/ )
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Our hope would be that this campaign would
> help provoke the academic revolution humanity so urgently needs. The
> campaign would however require quite a lot of work to carry out. Whether it
> would result in a Report would depend on what kind of response we get.
>
> Is it a good idea? Is it feasible? Is it
> worth trying? If so, should we begin with the UK? What would be the best
> way to proceed? Who would be willing to help with the UK pilot project?
>
> I hope to hear from you.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Nick
> www.nick-maxwell.demon.co.uk
>
>
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