This is a response to my previous report on colleges being somewhat, a scam. So, I thought I would calm down, study, and reflect upon this issue. Let's go back to the early days of education. All the way back to Timbuktu, Asia and the Greeks to answer the question...What is Higher Education?
Currently, an associates, bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees are milestones that modern society has deemed as indicators of success as well as entry tickets to life-long careers. Yet there is no guarantee. The thinking is, if an individual makes an investment, financially, physically and mentally, into the pursuit of higher education, that it will result in employment. An idea that isn't perfect, but has worked pretty well for quite some time, especially in the west.
It has come to my attention, after deep thought, that there are two ways to approach graduating from college. First, being great at time management is all you need, in my opinion, to make it through college and graduate. Can you turn your work in on time? Can you network effectively? Can you enjoy the social licorice that is available while just passing? If you can do those things, which most have, then you will obtain the prize of a degree. You may not have the highest GPA, but you will get out. However, the second approach is embracing the very foundation of the purpose of college, which is a principle theme of the ancient Greeks, Confucius and even biblical text; Intellectualism through the pursuit of knowledge.
The embracing of information beyond the simplistic, that challenges your ethical and moral positions, is a safe definition for intellectualism. Learning as much as you can, and applying that knowledge intellectually should, over time, bring you to a state of wisdom. The essence and goal of every college is to prepare graduates for THINKING. Can you think, contemplate, analyze, critique, intellectualize? Early students who sought intellectualism embraced history, anthropology, mysteries of the planet, religion, biology, math and much more. Many have debated the existence of an Egyptian Mystery System, yet despite the findings, many agree that the Mystery System was a methodical pledge process whereby initiates absorbed 360 degrees of knowledge; math, science, biology, philosophy, medicine, God, etc. Today, we have found that no one person can be a master of 360 degrees of knowledge. There are very few who can excel or become geniuses in math, science, and other areas of academia all at once, but this is extremely rare. But the pursuit of knowledge beyond one's ethnicity, birthplace and gender is critical to interpersonal communication, nation building and advancement of the species.
Contemplate these two statements; Mathew 6:33, English Revised Version, "But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," and, The Ancient Greek aphorism "Know thyself." For many, the first saying simply means that in order to meet and acquire God, a person must seek him through the acquisition of information and to learn from what they have acquired to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. And the second, for many, represents a deep and personal journey of discovery through historical studies and opening themselves to exploring the unknown in order to understand the self. Ideas similar to these have been the backbone of human discovery and achievement. The desire to know the origins, function and impact of lifeforms, races and cultures has led to an almost planet-wide collective consciousness. Despite how I have romanticized intellectualism, what is it's place in American institutions of higher learning?
I believe Emerson and Thoreau would be highly critical of my writing style but would enjoy the content of the discussion. Intellectualism, in America, could probably be characterized as something reserved for unique portions of the American collective; the wealthy, politicians and educators. During slavery, the post industrialization period, it was irrelevant whether or not every man, woman and child were educated. Obtaining a skill was by far the primary goal. But by the late 1920's the country's position on education evolved to a philosophy that all men, women and children should be exposed to the arts, sciences, math, and religion. That is very important, especially in our highly technical society, which requires serious critical thinkers who respect various disciplines.
Graduates today that decide early on to embrace the intellectual side of college benefit from their experience and degree far more, in my opinion, and in many cases, than those that followed an automaton experience of just meeting deadlines, being on time...basically going with the motions. The intellectual embracing student is well-rounded. They can hold and sustain a discussion with anyone coming from a different career field, country or ethnic background. These well-rounded, intelligent students can use their inference skills, as an example, to discuss issues relating to micro-biology without majoring in it, due to being well read, continuing to read above-and-beyond the call of duty and staying informed of current events. The well-rounded, intellectual student should be the goal of K12 and post secondary education.
1957. Sputnik was launched by the Russians. This is the beginning period of forced intellectualism in U.S. education for both K12 and the post-secondary level. Due to fears of a Russian invasion and take over due to the perception that they were a much more advanced country technologically, sparked American leaders at the time to focus on the nurturing, and development of future scientists to keep our country ahead of all others. The federalization of secondary education resulted in massive government investments in secondary school systems, overhauls of curriculum and the implementation of rigor beyond what had been seen before. The pacing and focus has dramatically shifted to an environment of high-stakes, hyper testing today. The Einstein-ing of American children. The overwhelming desire to make every child another Einstein involves higher, but very unrealistic expectations, beginning on the elementary level through graduation from the senior class. The result is increased cheating on standardized tests, an increased drop out rate which is close to 48% nationally, poor retention of educators and a shortage of educators nationally, coupled with a bombardment of consultants and illogical legislative mandates by politicians.
How has this affected the primary focus of the university and intellectualism? Is my assertion correct that colleges and a college education is a SCAM? Every university in the U.S. has complained that students can not write. They have all examined and studied why the graduation rates of many of the various ethnic groups are so low. Enrollment is high, but retention and graduation is fleeting for many. The current generation, texters, are viewing college as too expensive and a waste of time compared to the pursuits of athletic, music and entertainment careers. There is a large collective push against intellectualism. It's origins beginning with popular culture; music, TV, radio, the internet. There are anecdotal cases all across the country of kids arguing with teachers on the K12 level about, "being smart," and intelligence. I can remember teaching a media production class and using the word, "plethora." A complaining student then stated, "you didn't have to use that big word. You could have just said A-lot." And of course I agreed, but I also stated, "school is an environment of intellectualism and all of use should be using our larger, more advanced vocablulary, when in an academic setting."
Acquiring knowledge and going to college. This can be difficult for young people when school is looked down upon. Our culture creates terms like, "nerd," and, "dork," to describe those who are smart. Our entertainment culture, movies specifically, add to this denigration; Animal House, American Pie, etc. And the behavior of children in secondary school is so appalling. Those are the students enrolling and applying to colleges, acquiring large college loans, spending a large amount of their personal income, only to never graduate.
The SCAM factor comes into play because society pushes a college education to a generation(s) that is becoming more and more resistant to it. And there are no jobs, coupled with rising tuition and fees that don't appear to be receeding. Paying someone to make you a better thinker sounds good, to us intellectuals, but should it cost, in many cases, over $9,000 a semester? And that's cheap! Many colleges & universities don't even have faculty that have ever physically worked in the fields they teach in. They can provide the intellectual foundation, but not the hands-on, real world experience that is sorely needed in this hi-tech era. How can schools justify charging so much for students to be taught by those who think only theoretically and can only engage in research? And despite these radical changes in our populations approach the university systems trend is to invest millions in the hiring of those with PhD.'s for research in order to sell books to students and generate income. Example-If I want to be an actual Forensic Pathologist for a police department, can a PhD that worked their entire career in theory, and never for a police department as a forensic pathologist, truly prepare me for working in the field? Shouldn't I be working under an instructor with over 20 or 30 years of field experience who may only have a bachelors or masters? Or a mix of both? Where is the balance? The madness for many universities is that they don't even seek parity or a balance of research doctorates and industry veterans. Many schools are outfitting their entire departments with research doctorates. All I can say to that is...SCAM.
To conclude. Intellectualism and hands-on training. Good for the mind. Good for the country. Great combination. But intellectualism and knowledge by itself is not enough on a planet where technology is king and the future publicans can't afford or see the benefit of paying for it.
It has come to my attention, after deep thought, that there are two ways to approach graduating from college. First, being great at time management is all you need, in my opinion, to make it through college and graduate. Can you turn your work in on time? Can you network effectively? Can you enjoy the social licorice that is available while just passing? If you can do those things, which most have, then you will obtain the prize of a degree. You may not have the highest GPA, but you will get out. However, the second approach is embracing the very foundation of the purpose of college, which is a principle theme of the ancient Greeks, Confucius and even biblical text; Intellectualism through the pursuit of knowledge.
The embracing of information beyond the simplistic, that challenges your ethical and moral positions, is a safe definition for intellectualism. Learning as much as you can, and applying that knowledge intellectually should, over time, bring you to a state of wisdom. The essence and goal of every college is to prepare graduates for THINKING. Can you think, contemplate, analyze, critique, intellectualize? Early students who sought intellectualism embraced history, anthropology, mysteries of the planet, religion, biology, math and much more. Many have debated the existence of an Egyptian Mystery System, yet despite the findings, many agree that the Mystery System was a methodical pledge process whereby initiates absorbed 360 degrees of knowledge; math, science, biology, philosophy, medicine, God, etc. Today, we have found that no one person can be a master of 360 degrees of knowledge. There are very few who can excel or become geniuses in math, science, and other areas of academia all at once, but this is extremely rare. But the pursuit of knowledge beyond one's ethnicity, birthplace and gender is critical to interpersonal communication, nation building and advancement of the species.
Contemplate these two statements; Mathew 6:33, English Revised Version, "But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," and, The Ancient Greek aphorism "Know thyself." For many, the first saying simply means that in order to meet and acquire God, a person must seek him through the acquisition of information and to learn from what they have acquired to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. And the second, for many, represents a deep and personal journey of discovery through historical studies and opening themselves to exploring the unknown in order to understand the self. Ideas similar to these have been the backbone of human discovery and achievement. The desire to know the origins, function and impact of lifeforms, races and cultures has led to an almost planet-wide collective consciousness. Despite how I have romanticized intellectualism, what is it's place in American institutions of higher learning?
I believe Emerson and Thoreau would be highly critical of my writing style but would enjoy the content of the discussion. Intellectualism, in America, could probably be characterized as something reserved for unique portions of the American collective; the wealthy, politicians and educators. During slavery, the post industrialization period, it was irrelevant whether or not every man, woman and child were educated. Obtaining a skill was by far the primary goal. But by the late 1920's the country's position on education evolved to a philosophy that all men, women and children should be exposed to the arts, sciences, math, and religion. That is very important, especially in our highly technical society, which requires serious critical thinkers who respect various disciplines. Graduates today that decide early on to embrace the intellectual side of college benefit from their experience and degree far more, in my opinion, and in many cases, than those that followed an automaton experience of just meeting deadlines, being on time...basically going with the motions. The intellectual embracing student is well-rounded. They can hold and sustain a discussion with anyone coming from a different career field, country or ethnic background. These well-rounded, intelligent students can use their inference skills, as an example, to discuss issues relating to micro-biology without majoring in it, due to being well read, continuing to read above-and-beyond the call of duty and staying informed of current events. The well-rounded, intellectual student should be the goal of K12 and post secondary education.
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| Sputnik 1 |
How has this affected the primary focus of the university and intellectualism? Is my assertion correct that colleges and a college education is a SCAM? Every university in the U.S. has complained that students can not write. They have all examined and studied why the graduation rates of many of the various ethnic groups are so low. Enrollment is high, but retention and graduation is fleeting for many. The current generation, texters, are viewing college as too expensive and a waste of time compared to the pursuits of athletic, music and entertainment careers. There is a large collective push against intellectualism. It's origins beginning with popular culture; music, TV, radio, the internet. There are anecdotal cases all across the country of kids arguing with teachers on the K12 level about, "being smart," and intelligence. I can remember teaching a media production class and using the word, "plethora." A complaining student then stated, "you didn't have to use that big word. You could have just said A-lot." And of course I agreed, but I also stated, "school is an environment of intellectualism and all of use should be using our larger, more advanced vocablulary, when in an academic setting."
Acquiring knowledge and going to college. This can be difficult for young people when school is looked down upon. Our culture creates terms like, "nerd," and, "dork," to describe those who are smart. Our entertainment culture, movies specifically, add to this denigration; Animal House, American Pie, etc. And the behavior of children in secondary school is so appalling. Those are the students enrolling and applying to colleges, acquiring large college loans, spending a large amount of their personal income, only to never graduate.
The SCAM factor comes into play because society pushes a college education to a generation(s) that is becoming more and more resistant to it. And there are no jobs, coupled with rising tuition and fees that don't appear to be receeding. Paying someone to make you a better thinker sounds good, to us intellectuals, but should it cost, in many cases, over $9,000 a semester? And that's cheap! Many colleges & universities don't even have faculty that have ever physically worked in the fields they teach in. They can provide the intellectual foundation, but not the hands-on, real world experience that is sorely needed in this hi-tech era. How can schools justify charging so much for students to be taught by those who think only theoretically and can only engage in research? And despite these radical changes in our populations approach the university systems trend is to invest millions in the hiring of those with PhD.'s for research in order to sell books to students and generate income. Example-If I want to be an actual Forensic Pathologist for a police department, can a PhD that worked their entire career in theory, and never for a police department as a forensic pathologist, truly prepare me for working in the field? Shouldn't I be working under an instructor with over 20 or 30 years of field experience who may only have a bachelors or masters? Or a mix of both? Where is the balance? The madness for many universities is that they don't even seek parity or a balance of research doctorates and industry veterans. Many schools are outfitting their entire departments with research doctorates. All I can say to that is...SCAM.
To conclude. Intellectualism and hands-on training. Good for the mind. Good for the country. Great combination. But intellectualism and knowledge by itself is not enough on a planet where technology is king and the future publicans can't afford or see the benefit of paying for it.
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