President Obama exclaimed is that by 2020 the United States will have the highest percent of college graduates of any nation. Though, “college graduate” might not be synonymous with educated and prosperous. There is nothing magical about a college diploma. Such an artifact does not endow an owner with powers of success and morality. Sure, sure, we are all scholars of higher education. We are all members of a society that we wish to share with the world. For the people that share this journey with us, there are various stages they must pass through. In many societies, rituals symbolizing the start of a journey towards membership mark stages, such as initiation and integration.
In higher education, rituals can be seen in new student ceremonies, the first class, the feeling we have after passing our first semesters, or maybe the first time we step into our residence halls. On the other hand, symbols of integration, of full membership can include walking across the stage at graduation in front of friends, mentors, and loved ones, receiving a diploma, venturing into a new organization, and so on.
The ritual is of little importance; the journey the ritual symbolizes is everything. The history and theories we learn along the way, the ideas we will create, and the truth we will discover within ourselves, illuminate our path to membership. But, staying on the path is not the only way to complete the journey. For those of us who complete the journey within higher education, we earn symbols of our membership within our societies of discourse – diplomas. Diplomas are the mark of college graduates and apparently earning enough of them collectively by 2020 symbolizes success for our nation. Though, I am not sure why, and neither are government officials in Tennessee.
Tennessee officials are doubtful we will reach President Obama’s goal in ten years time. Furthermore, many question why such a goal is important. Many who enter four-year institutions, and even more who enter community colleges never intend to earn a degree. These students are on a different journey, one of learning skills to obtain a better job or new occupation. If a person starts on our path but ventures out and makes one of their own, should that not count?
Perhaps rather than measuring the educational success of our nation by graduation rates, we would be better served to examine generational improvements. Students who never graduate still keep the knowledge and skills earned along their path, which translates to greater quality of life for themselves and their families. A diploma symbolizing graduation is static; knowledge is not. On the contrary, knowledge lives within us. We pass it on to the people we meet, the children we have, and through this phenomenon, future generations have the potential to be more.
-Adam
http://chronicle.com/article/How-Do-You-Make-America-the/65012/
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Hi Adam,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. It seems our society has been fixated on earning a four-year degree. I agree, it is not for everyone. Yes, we can continue to improve our skills and enhance the way we live out our life, but do we need to demonstrate our learned ability of navigating life with a piece of paper? I am not downplaying the importance of a college degree and the importance I placed on earning one, but this was my choice and now we are saying it should be everyone's value. Assimilating America... one student at a time.
-Alethea
I agree with Alethea, I enjoyed reading your post.
ReplyDeleteWe as administrators focus a lot on wanting a student to succeed, but who defines success? Shouldn't a student define what success means for them? It is not about the end result, but the journey along the way and what the learning process can bring for an individual. If a student decides that a bachelors degree is for them great, if not, whatever they decide is fine too. As long as they are learning, we should be fine with it since that is what education is all about right?