My family is a family involved in professional education, i.e. Rose - college instructor, Katy - early head start, Jennie - middle school math, Skip - retired accounting professor, Candy - program assistant EWU, Brad - fallen management professor and Uncle Charles - retired college president ~ and a great grandfather who owned a private boys school in Great Britain. My friends are for the most part involved in higher education, i.e. Ed Bump, Paul Graul, Chris Harvey, Paul Dierks, and more. Most of my friends are University educated. We understand education; the process and the intent. We live it. It's in our genes. Perhaps it's an isolated world in which we live (my friends and I). Perhaps we think of ourselves as elite. But I prefer to think not. We have worked hard and value knowledge.
Given the world I live in, a dream I had a couple of nights ago really disturbed me. The essence of the dream was learning to live in a universe without higher education; certainly not higher education as we know it. It was a very realistic dream ~ one of my better ones, intellectually. Why? Because that is, in my view, where we are headed. My dream gave me glimpses of what to expect. It bordered on being a nightmare! :-)
Society seems to be saying let the "free market" prevail. Let the private sector teach the technical "stuff". They are better at it; besides in the technical areas practice is ahead of the academic environment. Universities are no longer the bastions of innovation. I even recognized this "bastion phenomena" in my farewell address to the Washington Society of CPA's. I pleaded with the professional accountants to help in this arena and I asked the academics to accept this help. I fear it fell on deaf ears. The practitioners have no time. And, the academics have turf issues. ;-) I prefer to think of both sides as being selfish and lazy. How's that for being blunt? If they are not careful some outside venture business will step in and provide the education for "profit" motives - to the detriment of both the practitioners and the academics. And, chances are the new education business's are going to preach the use of technology (Internet basically), preparing one for a "job", the "ease" of obtaining an education and the quickness of obtaining an education. I, of all people, worry about the implications of our current world on the teaching of the "liberal arts" curriculum. For years I fought the battle of protecting and promoting the professional programs in the University environment where the liberal arts were dominant to the point of arrogance.
Fast forward to today. The emphasis is on obtaining the technical skills for a "job" to the exclusion of the liberal arts, i.e. don't teach any of the liberal arts. The idea that the liberal arts do not add skills that are appropriate to a job/profession is absolutely wrong, but only appreciated ironically if one has a liberal arts background. This misconception along with the increasing cost of higher education does not auger well for the University. Increasingly, the benefit of a university education is a class issue, i.e. only the well off can afford it. So what happens to enrollments. They go down. As General Motors and others have recently found the buildings and equipment owned simply become sunk costs. Some in our society, the far right, would even say that even the research efforts of the research institutions could be better accomplished in the "private" sector.
Now I am as in favor of technology as the next guy. But I'm afraid in large degree our nation and society has the "wrapper mixed up with the hot dog". The tail's wagging the dog. We are so enamored with the technology and its glitter that we are forgetting such things as the English language, communication skills, math skills, critical thinking, ethnics, historical context, politeness, art appreciation, spirituality, ethic differences, interpersonal skills, and the list goes on. Most of these concepts/skills are learned on the liberal arts side of the University. And, I should add that the technical skills taught on the professional schools side of the University are taught within the context/blend of the total University environment. If we are not careful we are going to forget that a University education is supposed to prepare the student for future changes and to be a "thinking member of society". Balance is necessary. The private sector wants well prepared professionals. Society wants a well informed and educated populace. They need not be exclusive concepts if we stop and think! Are we thinking. I'm worried that we are not. Our nation has become so divided that one side will not even listen to the other. I sense another division in our nation relative to the benefits of a University education. The approach we seem to be taking is simply going to isolate us one from the other even more.
My rant for the day. Other than that things are great here in lake woe be gone.
Gordon
p.s. Yes, I am a grumpy old man.
well said dad.
ReplyDeletekate