Discussion Questions: 4/24 : Alannah Fehrenbach

Definition of Liberal Arts:

How does the recent developments of internet redefine liberal arts education? How can higher education keep up and keep it fresh? (even though the idea of liberal arts education goes far back in tradition it should-in principal- live and breathe with social developments.)

How are student-faculty relationships facilitated?

In comparing the Value of Liberal Arts with its crtitique:

How are our values of education changing with the economy? Are there ways of incorporating the lofty ideas of liberal arts with a more grounded and practical element?

Is the idea of liberal arts “outdated”? How can it be revitalized?

Nussbaum:
Does education “prepare us for meaningful lives?” If so, what are the consequences of wittling this down?

How are resources becoming classified as liberal arts becomes less emphasized?

-Alannah Fehrenbach

Liberal Arts Reading Questions 4/24 – Will Lorenzo

1. Consider a scenario where a person gets a vocational education, with no liberal arts components whatsoever. She gets a job, then gets fired and can’t get work. Given a scenario like this, which probably happens a lot, can this be seen as the major reason for a liberal arts education? Should the liberal arts be seen as the foundation for a specific area of study?

2. In that parents’ survey, nearly 40% state that the most important reason for a child to go to college is to get a good job. Is this feeling (which will only grow over time) be the reason for the demise of the liberal arts education or do other factors come into play?

3. In the parents’ survey, about 45% strongly agree that vocational school is the pathway to a good job, about 32% strongly agree that not going to college is the pathway to a good job, and about 28% strongly agree that a liberal arts college is the pathway to a good job. Why does the liberal arts come in last place, even after ‘not going to college at all’? Has the reputation of a liberal arts college diminished that much already?

4. Since many employers are looking for candidates with a well-rounded education, where she can read, write, solve problems, and have many other capabilities, can the liberal arts college be seen as a road to this kind of candidate? A liberal arts university is really the only type of institution of higher education that can grant these capabilities to its students. With these notions of a good potential candidate, why is the liberal arts college still diminishing?

5. In the “Death of Liberal Arts” article, it is stated that “the number of liberal arts colleges dwindled from 212 in 1990 to 136 in 2009.” At this rate, there will soon be only a handful of liberal arts colleges in America. What can these colleges do in order to attract more applicants and keep their doors open?

6. Consider a scenario where a student graduates with a degree in the liberal arts. She later decides that she wants to pursue a career which needs a lot of technical know-how, a career where she would have needed to take many an appropriate class while in college. In this case, can the liberal arts be seen as an obstacle to her success? For a person like this, what are the benefits of the liberal arts?

Collective Interview Questions for Dean Kirschner of Macaulay- Group 1 (Lauren, Aniqa, Sara, Saira)

Questions for Dean Kirschner

 

1. What do you think the big issues will be in higher education in twenty years?

 

2. What is the hardest part of your job?

 

3. How do we make higher education more accessible to students? In order to remove the barriers to successful participation in higher education, what are the ways in which universities can provide financial and academic support to aid students in their completion of degrees?

 

4. Do you think high school graduates are entering institutions of higher education adequately prepared? If not, what do you think can be done to help students become more prepared for admittance into institutions of higher education and completion of a degree? Is this an issue that should be dealt with in higher education, or in K-12 education?

 

5. What are your thoughts regarding scholarships to students: Do you feel more scholarships be given to students based on need or based on merit? In your opinion, which students are more successful in the long run?

 

6. What are the main criteria for admissions into your university (i.e. what type of students are you looking for) and how do you go about choosing who gets admitted?

 

7.  If students cannot afford to go to a highly rated institution of higher education, what do you suggest they do? Do you think students should take out loans in order to attend a reputable, highly rated university? Or should students opt to go to a more affordable school?

 

8.  How does your university attempt to foster a diverse student body?

 

9.  Wouldn’t the decline in net revenue and the hunt for possible donors distract colleges from their goal which is to provide a good education to their students?

 

10. We’ve read some article you’ve written on MOOC’s and are intrigued by your opinion on them. Do you  think MOOC’s online classes will revolutionize higher education in the near future? Do you think that not experiencing an education in an actual classroom, leaves a student without the proper resources to acquire knowledge, or do you believe MOOCs are both convenient and effective?

 

11. The traditional role of the university has been to foster learning and offer students a well-rounded education. However, it seems that many student’s and universities goals in terms of coming out of undergrad are to have graduates enter the work force and acquire well paying jobs. Do you agree with this mindset or should we back to the goals of the traditional university?

 

12.    Macaulay’s mission statement includes the goal of Macaulay’s aim to offer a liberal arts education in the midst of a major urban research university. Do you think Macaulay is successfully following these goals? What do you think distinguishes Macaulay from other universities in its approach to this specific goal in your mission as a whole?

 

13.   More and more students want to come out of their undergraduate education with the security of being prepared for the workforce and securing a steady well-paying job. With this mindset, students might focus less on receiving a well rounded educated and more on doing well on tests and overall in their classes. Do you think universities should aim to provide their students with a well rounded education even if that means that their degree won’t lead to the most well paying job? Or should universities focus on preparing their students for the workforce?

 

14.   How has the purpose of undergraduate education shifted from when you went to undergrad at the State University of New York Buffalo? What are the parallel’s and differences between the student’s goals in terms of coming out of college then and now?

 

15. How does your institution relate to its faculty? Macaulay has a unique faculty in the sense that its professors aren’t necessarily part of your institution alone so how does this affect the way you interact with them?

 

16. Do you feel that state and federal funding will continue to decline? If yes, how will these cutbacks affect your institution? Do you foresee any changes you need to make? Do you expect the quality of education to decrease?

 

17. What area of higher education can use the biggest cutbacks? Where is most of the money being wasted, in your opinion?

 

18. Factoring in SES, has been discussed as an alternative to affirmative action. Do you think this is a good way to encourage diversity? Economic diversity? Racial diversity? Why do you think this kind of system will/will not work?

 

19. Where does your money come from and how is it apportioned?

 

20. How has Macaulay Honors College made higher education more accessible to students, and in what ways has it made students more equipped for life beyond the classroom?

 

21. How did you get involved in MHC? Your previous positions seem related but are not the same as running a college?

 

22. How has CUNY and higher education changed in your time as dean of Macaulay and how have these changes affected your institution?

 

23. How does Macaulay contribute to its community? How does it contribute to the immediate community and to NYC as a whole? Your mission statement says that your graduates leave “ready to make a positive impact on the world.” Is this Macaulay’s contribution to its environment?

 

24. What does an average day look like for you? Where do you devote most of your energy?

 

25. If I was applying for a position as a Dean, what would you tell me? What is the most important information you would impart?

 

26. I understand that Macaulay is really big on encouraging students to use technology as part of their college education. For example, the e-portfolios, laptops, the fourth seminar. How do you think incorporating technology in learning can help students? What are you looking to get out of this?

 

27. What makes the separate Macaulay campuses come together as one college? What makes us the Macaulay Honors College and not individual honors programs at each CUNY?

Collective Interview Questions For VP Brown of NYU – Group 1 (Lauren, Aniqa, Sara, Saira)

Questions for VP Brown

 

1. What do you think the big issues will be in higher education in twenty years?

 

2. What is the hardest part of your job?

 

3. How do we make higher education more accessible to students? In order to remove the barriers to successful participation in higher education, what are the ways in which universities can provide financial and academic support to aid students in their completion of degrees? What role do you think NYU should play in terms of being accessible to students? How has the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP NYU) at NYU helped to make high education more accessible, primarily for traditionally under­served, low-income students?

 

4. Do you think high school graduates are entering institutions of higher education adequately prepared? If not, what do you think can be done to help students become more prepared for admittance into institutions of higher education and completion of a degree? Is this an issue that should be dealt with in higher education, or in K-12 education?

 

5. What are your thoughts regarding scholarships to students: Do you feel more scholarships be given to students based on need or based on merit? In your opinion, which students are more successful in the long run?

 

6. What are the main criteria for admissions into your university (i.e. what type of students are you looking for) and how do you go about choosing who gets admitted?

 

7.  If students cannot afford to go to a highly rated institution of higher education, what do you suggest they do? Do you think students should take out loans in order to attend a reputable, highly rated university? Or should students opt to go to a more affordable school?

 

8.  How does your university attempt to foster a diverse student body?

 

9.  How important is it to you to make college affordable for undergraduates? Is there a way to balance the rise in tuition while still having enough resources to run the college?

 

10.  Wouldn’t the decline in net revenue and the hunt for possible donors distract colleges from their goal which is to provide a good education to their students?

 

 

11. Do you  think MOOC’s online classes will revolutionize higher education in the near future? Do you think that not experiencing an education in an actual classroom, leaves a student without the proper resources to acquire knowledge, or do you believe MOOCs are both convenient and effective?

 

12. The traditional role of the university has been to foster learning and offer students a well-rounded education. However, it seems that many student’s and universities goals in terms of coming out of undergrad are to have graduates enter the work force and acquire well paying jobs. Do you agree with this mindset or should we back to the goals of the traditional university? Is NYU’s aim to educate, get students ready for the workforce or a mix of both?

 

13. How is New York University’s mission statement specifically geared towards the students and faculty of NYU? What distinguishes your mission from that of other universities? How do you make sure you follow these goals?

 

14. Several of the projects of NYU in recent years have included modernizing the cogeneration plant and the construction of a new spiritual center. How would you say these projects fit into the goals of NYU? As the senior vice president for university relations and public affairs, how do you make sure that the student’s and faculty’s needs are being met? How do you make sure that the university needs specific changes whereas other projects might not be as important for the mission of the university?

 

15. How important is it to your institution to stay in touch with your local community and government?

 

16. How important is it to your institution to hire faculty that have a teaching background and not just a research background?

 

17. How are professors granted tenure at your institution?

 

18.  Do you think that your institution’s current goals match with its mission statement? What are some of your plans in the near future to achieve these goals?

 

19. Do you feel that state and federal funding will continue to decline? If yes, how will these cutbacks affect your institution? Do you foresee any changes you need to make? Do you expect the quality of education to decrease?

 

20. What area of higher education can use the biggest cutbacks? Where is most of the money being wasted, in your opinion?

 

21. Factoring in SES, has been discussed  as an alternative to affirmative action. Do you think this is a good way to encourage diversity? Economic diversity? Racial diversity? Why do you think this kind of system will/will not work?

 

22. Where does your money come from and how is it apportioned?

 

23. Do you think NYUs pursuits abroad are distracting it from serving its New York students to the fullest? Why does NYU feel the need to be an international center?

 

24. What is NYU doing to make sure that its education is accessible to minority and disadvantaged students?

 

25. I see that you have a background in political science. How do you think that has helped you as Senior Vice President for University Relations and Public Affairs at NYU?

 

26. I see that you have been a part of the NYU Sustainability Task Force. Why do you think universities need to play a role in improving the environment? Is it for PR?

 

27. According to my research, some of your plans include having a campus for Polytechnic Institute of New York University in downtown Brooklyn, a medical research building and home for the nursing school near NYU Langone Medical Center, a possible satellite campus on Governors Island and, up to 2 million square feet of in Greenwich Village. Do you think investing in all of these plans will steer NYU away from it’s focus on its students?

 

28. If I was applying to work as VP in your position, what information would you tell me? What would you want me to know?

 

29. How does being so spread out affect NYU’s unity? What makes NYU one unit? What is the common thread that ties all NYU campuses together?

 

30. Do you think expanding NYU’s campus overseas is making higher education more accessible for students? How is the global campus of NYU a pioneer for future institutions? What role does it play in promoting diversity?

Reading Questions for 04/24/13

1.The Jaschik article mentions that the true value of a college is not recognized by critical thinking or well-roundedness, but rather by the goal of getting a job. How do liberal arts colleges compete with vocational and STEM oriented colleges with this kind of mentality? Are liberal arts colleges becoming an endangered species of university? How can liberal arts colleges begin to attract the masses again?

2. If more Americans attend vocational schools to learn a specific trade or field, does that limit our overall knowledgeably as a people? Can we effectively compete with other countries if we just focus on STEM fields and vocations, or is a worldliness needed?

3. According to the Humphreys presentation, employers are looking for well-rounded critical thinkers to take on their jobs, but they are not getting them. What message is being lost from the employers to the college advertisements/mission? If this was massively distributed as knowledge, wouldn’t the value of liberal arts colleges greatly increase?

4. The Coulson article seems to hint that students should build up a portfolio of jobs rather than attend liberal arts universities. In a very restricted job market, is this opinion viable? Do you think liberal arts colleges can be replaced with an individual drive to learn?

5. Many college students may see their college education as a chore and an obstacle to getting a job. Nussbaum argues that this declining popularity has led to a restriction in humanities. Do we think that humanities are an essential quality of college learning, or are they a waste of elective credit?

Liberal Arts?

1.What is the meaning of a liberal arts education? How do colleges define it today? Is it just a tool to promote an idea they want to sell? Does any college truly embody “liberal arts education”?

2.Who decides that a liberal education matters more than a career-oriented one? Or vice versa? Is it politicians? Policy makers?

3.Humphreys claims that within the next few years, there will not be enough college-educated people to fill the necessary jobs. Isn’t there a decrease in hiring at this point in time? Is that expected to continue? If so, how are we to understand these two pieces of information?

4.It seems that there is a new movement to assess competence and not just hours spent in classroom. Should there also be a way to test for competence in regards to liberal arts knowledge, ie reasoning, social responsibility, practical skills, etc?

5.Are employers expecting too much by wanting employees who have a broad and wide depth of knowledge? Is this an unrealistic expectation?

6.The critique on liberal arts education claims that one can teach himself all the things that a liberal arts education is said to impart and it is therefore a waste to give money to colleges to do just that. Is this a valid argument? Can people learn reasoning and civic responsibility from online classes and self-motivated learning?

7.Coulson seems to be bemoaning a lack of initiative on the part of today’s generation and not so much the “myth” of a liberal arts education. What exactly is he trying to say here?

8.We’ve spoken about mission creep, but is it possible that colleges are trying to be something they’re not because that’s where the money is? Some colleges have expanded their scope because they weren’t pulling in enough applicants by having such a narrow niche. Is it possible that the real crux of the matter here is economics? Is it also possible that student demand is part of what drives the mission creep we see?

9.Is the new focus on vocational training a result of the current economic situation or has it been years in the making? Why is this push happening now?

10.Employers want people who can work well with others, but this isn’t necessarily something a liberal arts education can impart. Even vocational training can do this. Is this skill a relevant part of the LA arguments?

11.It seems that colleges are doing a poor job of effectively conveying to the public what they are really saying. For example, small private colleges may have a huge price tag but the actual price you pay is much less. Or, for example, these small colleges often promote liberal arts education, which some studies have shown increases income after college. Yet, somehow, the public does not know this information. Why is that? What are these colleges doing wrong?

12.Is higher ed in crisis or not?

13.A few articles (and Nussbaum) have compared the liberal arts argument and rhetoric to religious rhetoric. How true is this claim?

14.Does economic growth need a liberal arts education or not? Nussbaum is arguing that employers decry it as useless but surveys of employers indicate that they do, in fact, want the skills most people are supposed to get from a liberal arts education. What is the reality here?

It is said that liberal arts education is on a downward slope and too many college students now choose to pursue degrees in fields that are more likely to guarantee them a job. Yet, decades ago, there were simply far fewer people in colleges who composed in larger proportion of the elite (and thus could afford liberal arts). Maybe, if we look into the proportional of all young people (and not just college students) we will find that the proportion has not changed between those who study liberal arts and those who do everything else.

Liberal Arts advocates say that their education has benefits that are not directly tangible. They theoretically create good citizens who think critically and participate. They foster the “soul,” whatever that means. Yet, as these qualities are near impossible to measure, does this not make the whole concept esoteric and essentially beyond the means of academic discourse?

The Cato article probably went a bit far by claiming that all liberal arts can be learned from a computer screen. By its very nature, the disciplines that fall under it require some person to person discussion and help from professors on what is traditionally thought to be the most relevant academic literature on the subject. Yet, now that essentially all of us have access to the “great works,” why do students have to pay the same amounts to study the philosophy and biology, which require much larger investments from the institution?

According to the Nussbaum, lack of liberal arts education today in worldwide higher education is a threat to democracy. This implies that in earlier decades, democracy was in less of a threat because more people received liberal education. Yet, the proportion of people in higher education in general was considerably lower. Does this mean that the lauded people-power of the past was in the hands of a very specific demos? If so, how have we actually changed?

 

Questions for Kafui

1. What are some technological improvements you’ve noticed in CUNY, if any? What sort of improvements do you, as a former student, think would most benefit students today?

2.  Massive Open Online Courses have become very popular in recent years. Do you think that not experiencing an education in a brick and mortar setting, meaning an actual classroom, leaves a student without the proper resources to acquire knowledge, or that these MOOCs are both convenient and effective?

3. As a professor, would you be comfortable with disseminating lectures online without any interaction with students?

4. What do you see as the future of online courses? WIll they ever be on par with traditional schooling?

5. What single technological improvement (such as e-mail, online websites) has most benefited the student-professor interaction?

Interview Questions–Kafui

 

1)   As a student involved on Brooklyn College’s board, do you feel that structure of “shared governance” is effectively practiced at BC? Do you think there could be greater student involvement? What impact would that have the college and the structure? Do you potentially see this establishment of shared governance changing in the future?

2)   As an involved student, do you feel that the structure of the faculty and administration is suited for the college? Specifically, the break down of part-time/contingent faculty and full-time/tenured faculty? How do you think this structure affects the student population? Do you see faculty effectively translate the college’s mission into their programs and classes?

3)   As both a student and Brooklyn College board member, what role do you think the institution should play in the promotion of civic engagement among students? Is it essential that students are involved in civic activities outside of the classroom and how can the college encourage this?

Reading Questions for April 24th

The article on sticker price says that parents don’t understand how much money they can receive from financial aid, and therefore unfairly restrict their child’s college options. Isn’t it more than fair to assume that maybe parents don’t want to take the risk of underestimation of the expected financial aid that they are quoted at time of FAFSA filing?

 

Are advancements in technology and media coverage of successful moguls who lack high school or college educations strong contributors to why people don’t feel that college educations are necessary anymore to get a good job?

 

In the Critique of the Liberal Arts, there is a claim that even computer engineering students can cheaply teach themselves all they need to know without going to college. However, it’s assuming that all the information on the internet is true and that the easy availability/accessibility to these resources are common knowledge among these students.  Are blatant overlooks like this one in the article a measure of how inaccurate much of its criticism is?

 

Nussbaum claims that parents view a pursuit for a degree in the arts or literature as a wasted one because there is no money/job in it. She also says that education in these fields are also necessary to advance democracy. What are some features of an education in these fields (which an education in science lacks) that can help advance democracy?