THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504140007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
We read with very personal interest and heightened ire Professor Robert A. Fradkin's ``ODU Russian program freezes to death'' (Another View, April 1).
When Old Dominion University eliminated the Russian-language major, thus terminating Dr. Fradkin's position, the university lost not only a Russian-language scholar who studied in Moscow but a Semitic-language scholar and a professor well-schooled in comparative linguistics.
Although he was too modest to mention his full credentials, Professor Fradkin holds a Ph.D. in Slavic and Semitic Linguistics from Indiana University. He also studied at Moscow State University and Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Of his own volition, he offered a course in classical (biblical) Hebrew for this spring semester at Old Dominion University. We are his grateful students.
When Dr. Fradkin leaves us, he goes first to Duke University and then to a coveted position in the Semitic Language Department at the University of Maryland.
We do not need to delineate the ridiculous lack of wisdom not only of not striving by every means to keep such a versatile scholar at Old Dominion University, but of arbitrarily eclipsing his influence on our academic and cultural community.
We wish Robert Fradkin well in his future positions, but we grieve that he will not be enhancing scholarship at Old Dominion University.
EDWINA AGNESE
RICHARD E. DAVIS
and 6 others
Norfolk, April 3, 1995 by CNB