The Higher Learning

To the Editors:

An article written by Andrew Hacker in the February 13, 1986 edition of The New York Review of Books made a reference to Bridgewater State College (p. 40) which is seriously inaccurate, and we would very much appreciate a printed correction.

The article stated that “between 1974 and 1984, enrollments at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts…dropped by almost 30 percent.” Actually, in the same period of time enrollment increased by more than 30 percent, from 4,138 to 5,438.

I have investigated the possible reasons for the inaccuracy in enrollment figures as they appeared in that article and found that the data used in the article was from published figures in the World Almanac. The 1974 data were collected from surveys that apparently grouped both part-time and full-time students and led to the incorrect total figures for that year. The 1984 information was collected by another method and was correct….

Robert J. Dillman

Bridgewater State College

Bridgewater, Massachusetts