College “Investment” = Fools Gold? (New York Times Editorial)
"In our discussion about the rising burden of student loans, we received numerous comments from readers who took on a lot of debt to pay for their education. Some found they simply couldn’t afford to repay the loans with the jobs they found after college. Others said their debts determined their life choices. Still others wondered if the college experience was worth the financial burden they’ll carry for decades afterward. Here are excerpts from their comments." (Read more comments from the New York Times)
June 16, 2009
Tags: College Debt, Fools Gold, New York Times, Student Loan Debt Posted in: Uncategorized 
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Most College Students Want JOBS -Not “Enrichment”!
Every so often, I get a some tightly wound academic who writes to me saying that my book doesn't address those who go to college to "enrich themselves". This is true, my book does not address those suckers. My book is directed to the majority of people who go to college to find a JOB.
Besides, when is the last time you heard someone say that they wanted to go to college to get a degree so that they could be an enriched individual and speak intelligently about Karl Marx at family Christmas parties, or at the bar during happy hour?
EVERY time you hear people talk about "college," whether in the media, at a PTA meeting or in the grocery store, you also hear them talk about "jobs." You hardly ever hear someone talk about one without mentioning the other.
Take a look at these NPR headlines recently that address the very subject of College Degree & JOBS:
Job Recruiting Slows On College Campuses
by Alana Germany NPR
To Do: Get A Job
by Emma Jacobs
Graduates Brace For Worst Job Market In Years
by Larry Abramson
Job Training Gives Boost To High School Grads
by Larry Abramson
Oh, I did find one that mentions a Liberal Arts Scool
Economic Downturn Hits Liberal Arts School
by Robert Siegel
May 27, 2009
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Jon Stewart Pokes Fun at the Absurdity of Honorary Degrees
Boo hoo. Arizona State refused President Obama an honorary degree after his commencement speech at the University. Needless to say, President Obama is not heartbroken. Afterall, what more of an honor do you need after being elected President?
May 15, 2009
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Columbia Professor Mark Taylor’s Revolutionary Solutions For Higher Education
In his New York Times article entitled "End the University as We Know It", Mark Taylor says that If American colleges and universities are to thrive in the 21st century, they must be rigorously regulated and completely restructured.
Taylor says;
"Most graduate programs in American universities produce a product for which there is no market (candidates for teaching positions that do not exist) and develop skills for which there is diminishing demand."
I think he has some great, forward-thinking ideas. Take for example, eliminating tenure. Would it be such a bad thing to keep professors on their toes and have a constant influx of young faculty with new ideas and skills? I find it ironic that tenure was created to protect academic freedom. Yet, in many way it has resulted in a sort of academic captivity -low faculty turnover rates with professors that often get stuck in their ways.
Taylor, who is the chairman of the religion department at Columbia University, also makes a very good point about re-evaluating permanent programs at colleges and universities. He suggests considering a water program. Duh! Come to think of it, I've never seen or heard about a water program in college. Why don't we hear about more people majoring in water conservation and protection? I know a guy who majored in Glass Blowing. I know more than one person who studied Art History. But water protection? That's a useful field of study in itself.
All this coming from a Liberal Arts professor! By the time I got halfway through his article I decided that I really like this brave soul. Mark Taylor tells his students;
"Do not do what I do; rather, take whatever I have to offer and do with it what I could never imagine doing and then come back and tell me about it."
To me, that's kind of the idea of an evolving higher education. Maybe it's time to revolutionize the college system. I'm not saying that we should turn our backs on the arts or stop studying leisurely subjects. I"m not saying that we shouldn't study subjects that benefit us individually. But perhaps, as a whole, we should continue to include more updated, problem-solving programs and procedures so we do not fall into to an academic rut.
For the full online article click here:
End the University as We Know It
April 26, 2009
By Mark C. Taylor
The New York Times
April 27, 2009
Posted in: Uncategorized One Comment
Senior Editor at Harvard Business Review Questions the College System
"Folks, there's a big elephant in the classroom. The fact is, the old-fashioned model of post-secondary education in the U.S. is pretty much broken."
Just when I was starting to think I was a lonely, tiny voice who bothered at all to question the sacred institution we call college -I find a Harvard faculty member who makes some critical observations about higher education and has the guts to post them in an article on Harvard's Own Business Review!
Bronwyn Fryer says"
"Instead of preparing students for real-life, three-squares-and-a roof-over-your-head jobs, too many colleges charge massive tuition fees to impart the finer points of Proust."
Fryer also points out in her article, "Is College Working", that she has nothing against Proust or a liberal arts education. But she makes a very good point by posing the question; "why, in this economy, should I take on a massive debt for an education that's disconnected from the real world?"
Read the full article here:
Harvard Business Editor's Blog
Is College Working?
Thursday January 29, 2009
by Bronwyn Fryer
By the way, if you'd like to learn more about the work of Marcel Proust, you can get this book on Amazon.com or take a FREE online course in French and even share your thoughts in an online discussion of French Literature. (All for a mere fraction of the cost of a Harvard Credit Hour Course!)
April 22, 2009
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