Every time I visit a major University, I continue to have these doubts about their value. I can see a University as providing a community experience where young adults get the opportunity to experience a more independent lifestyle in a relatively safe environment. However, it would appear that the cost of an education greatly outstrips it’s inherent value in really providing knowledge (note: I’m not commenting on the “value” of having a degree when applying for a job). The US-based Universities are the bastions for political & intellectual dishonesty.
I’ve had previous postings about college education, including comments from Cal Thomas, that illustrate the dissatisfaction with the University system. However, who the hell am I to trust my opinion… Dennis Prager recently noted, “I have come to believe that, with regard to universities, no society has ever paid so much to so many to have its children so alienated from it.” Michael Barone commented in his editorial, “America’s colleges and universities have become, and have been for some decades, the most closed-minded and intellectually dishonest institutions in our society.” Even the New York Times had an article about universities trapping students for many years: “The average student takes 8.2 years to get a PhD….At commencement, the typical doctoral holder is 33 [years old].” And to add icing on the cake, there is a recent Associated Press article that the cost of college education: “Average tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose 6.6 percent this year, again outstripping increases in financial aid and pushing students into more borrowing.” Finally, one of the most interesting comments is from the Kansas State University, Department of Digital Ethnography. They highlight the lack of relevance in today’s university education.
[youtube]dGCJ46vyR9o[/youtube]
4 min 20 sec