Friday, March 21, 2014

Let Colleges be Colleges

With all the discussion about the value of college, higher education is going through an identity crisis in the public perception. Time, U.S. News and World Report, and Pew Research Center are among the many that are weighing in on the value of a college degree.  And in the questioning, the purpose of college is becoming corrupted.  Some say just send kids off to entrepreneurship or that college is too expensive for the skills.  Yet, we know that individuals with college degrees are more likely to be employed.  
Community colleges and four-year institutions are balancing the pressure to train students for specific jobs and the intangible value of "education for education sake."   There is, in fact, real value in spending time understanding history, literature, philosophy and other "non-practical" subjects as members of the global community.