From the American Council of Trustees and Alumni:

“An article from today’s New York Times considers the debate over the extent to which professorial politics influences students. While nearly everyone agrees that faculties on the whole tend be politically one-sided, many observers dispute whether this imbalance has any consequence in the classroom. Brooklyn College history professor KC Johnson says “yes,” pointing out that the problem is less political than pedagogical, with many disciplines within the humanities (such as diplomatic and military history) being pushed to the margins. ACTA’s own Anne Neal agrees, noting that the problem lies not in a simplistic “left-right” characterization, but instead to the essence of what is taught. Do professors influence students? Yes, surely, since students cannot know what is not taught. That is why ACTA advocates the need for institutions to demand a coherent core curriculum offering exposure to such central subjects as Western Civilization and American History.

ACTA has, as the Times notes, followed these issues closely, with our publications on Intellectual Diversity and the core curriculum advancing a critique of the current state of higher education, and showing ways in which trustees can help their institutions reach a solution.”

What isn’t taught is, at this point, more destructive than much of the tripe that is taught.

When you’re done with those links, hop on down a few rungs and read the latest plea from Boston University Dean of Students Kenn Elmore. In “It’s time to show them what we’ve got”, Elmore writes with all the flair, conviction and intellectual seriousness of A Christmas Story’s Ralphie on that ‘What I Want for Christmas’ theme:

“Plenty of naysayers doubt that individuals with the opportunity to vote for the first time will actually show up.  They also point to prior statistics that cast a doubt that you — a young voter, a student — will even show up tomorrow or have cast an absentee ballot by now.  We often hear about record numbers of young people registering to vote but are disappointed on election day.  We apparently want to be on the list but just don’t have the time to make it to the party.

Let’s show the country that its young people care and have a say in the direction of our cities, towns, states, and nation.  Your local candidates, referenda questions, and national officers in waiting need to know that you showed up and made a decision.  Get prepped and do what you’ve got to do tomorrow.  Show the nation that we’re here and ready to bring it in the future.  Show ‘em what you got!

Be safe and stay well,

Kenn Elmore

P.S. Don’t forget that there are elections held every year (not every four).”

C+!

That post script is in line with an older post in which the good Dean “bemoans” the ignorant public.

Though I’m impressed that he nailed referendum/referenda, I do wish the Deanship was an elected and not an appointed position.

Robert VerBruggen [who went to Northwestern] of Phi Beta Cons brings up a point relevant to the Campaigning-for-Credit discussion:

“This reminds me of a scheme I saw in college (not by the administration): Fliers encouraging students from swing states to register at home instead of in Illinois. Because of the way election laws work, students who live in one state (even just in summer) and go to school in another can vote in either, making it possible for them to direct their votes to where they count most, thus increasing the power of college students.”

Questions to readers: Is this sort of thing common where you work/go to school?”

I’ve devoted a few posts to Boston University’s Dean of Students’ Blog over the last few weeks. One of the Dean’s Blog gems was a guest post by Dr. Margaret Ross, also of BU, that encouraged college students to vote where they’d have the greatest impact, a place also known as Not Massachusetts:

“My hope is that students all over America will vote.  It usually will mean registering and often will require procuring an absentee ballot.  I also hope that students will register to vote in their home states.  In general, Massachusetts votes Democrat.  There is every reason to expect this will be the case in the 2008 election.  Therefore, the votes of the many students in school throughout Massachusetts will be more significant if they are cast in the states from which these many thousands of students have journeyed.”

There ya go, Mr. VerBruggen [emphasis mine].

I find the pick’n'choose approach to be distasteful and find Ross’s suggestion to be condescending. I have always considered myself a resident of New York State no matter where I’ve been – and it would take an awfully significant change in circumstances to see that transform in the future. I didn’t vote in Boston because I considered myself a visitor, not a resident. I vote in the state whose driver’s license I carry.

But the odd part of all this is that the same people who moan about privilege-this and discrimination-that have no problem with some taking advantage of the opportunities granted to them by wealth, talent, whatever – in this case, winding up at an institution of higher education, which for a host of reasons isn’t the norm – to make their vote count for more than another’s. A 19 year old bank teller, married with a kid and who never went to college, doesn’t have the opportunity to float their vote. Yet another reason

I’d argue that the teller contributes a bit more to society than a college student at, say, Manchester College, but the activists don’t see it that way. Let’s modify that old mantra of the higher education lefties and scream it from the Ivory tower:

Privilege for me but not for thee!

… because that’s exactly what the float-your-vote advocates believe in.

pointy-headed, adj. slang, disparaging. Intellectual, esp. in a self-important or impractical way.

Alert: If you don’t have a graduate degree, please find a friend who does so they can help you read this post. Dean Kenn Elmore “bemoans” that the public, which likely includes you, is too dumb to proceed without a guiding light. That I wrote this post without a graduate degree is a modern miracle.

First, Boston University’s Dean of Students Kenn Elmore bent over backwards to get students to register to vote. That’s not an altogether terrible idea, it’s just a waste of time and resources not unlike the 1,001 other tiny boondoggles that drive tuition increases.

Then Elmore saw no problem passing along an intellectually dishonest fearmongering piece as a ‘guest post.’ That it seemed to predict another American Civil War, blamed Hurricane Gustav on global warming, pronounced the last few years as “horrendous,” and, finally, implored students not to vote in Massachusetts, didn’t bother him.

Well done, Dean Elmore. Let’s talk about what this election season says about you.

“Here’s my confession – often, I read W.E.B. Dubois’ 1956 piece, Why I Won’t Vote.  I know you think I’m a big cynic, but I [sic] this 1956 piece still makes me think about our country – especially during the election season.”

Read it, folks, if you haven’t come across it before. You’ll see a few things that Elmore neglects to mention: distress that a third party, the Socialists, are overshadowed by a corrupt two-party system; that the two parties aren’t different at all; the disenfranchised reality of the “Negro”; etc. Elmore does a disservice to these details – these issues, among others, that Dubois identified as driving his hopelessness – by comparing them to today’s issues. But for the pretentious pseudo-intellectual, confessing that you’ve read a piece of philosophy is usually enough.

“As I’ve said before, I struggle with American politics.  I, like many of you, bemoan apparent public ignorance about decisions that have consequences for the country;”

Yes, we know you struggle with American politics – you’ve made that clear over the last few weeks. I’ve got no issue with that.

What’s unacceptable is the pointy-headed, smug contempt that Elmore expresses for the public. We’re not all dumb, we’re not so uninformed that we make choices blindly, and, frankly, if we needed guidance, we wouldn’t go to Elmore.

It’s bad to be pointy-headed, and it’s even worse when you stink at it.

I sense that Elmore feels a little guilt here, as he should – that’s why he tries to groom readers ["like many of you"] early on. Demagogue, demagogue, demagogue.

“[I bemoan] the money that is used to support political campaigns; opportunities for candidates that do not declare themselves Democrats or Republicans; the involvement of young people in traditional civic institutions;”

Does Elmore “bemoan” the financing for the McCain campaign that comes from the Federal government? Does he “bemoan” the money contributed to the Obama campaign, which amounts to even more? Should both campaigns instead use that money to buy us Prince CDs so we can all listen to the same inspirational music before writing?

These are tough questions. What else does Elmore bemoan?

“… tactics and procedures that are used to makes us loose [sic] our motivation to vote.”

I’d respond to this, but I haven’t a clue what Elmore means.

After a couple paragraphs of blather, Elmore concludes:

“I ask a lot of questions.  We can be at our best during a conversation.  Great conversations are about joy and the celebration of our human-ness.  A wonderful conversation is thought-provoking, inspirational, and liberates my spirit.  I feel like a human when I talk to others.  Join me at this year’s first Coffee and Conversation session – Friday, September 12, in the Howard Thurman Center from 3 – 5 p.m. This upcoming election season drops a lot of clues about who we are.  So, let’s talk about the upcoming election for leader of the world and why you should or should not vote.  Please also check out this week’s post on your vote and geography.”

Elmore is exposing who he is – and, most notably, his limits and contempt for the non-intellectuals. The mix of irony and gall that Elmore stirs in each of these blog posts will likely go unnoticed by the public. After all, they’re just too dumb and ignorant …

… though hundreds of thousands have managed to scrape together the money for Boston University tuition over the last few decades. Must’ve been dumb luck.

I wrote yesterday about my dissatisfaction with the Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore’s push for voter registration. It’s a poor use of resources, it’s outside the scope of the Dean’s office, and it’s reason #52,907 why higher education is prohibitively expensive. I responded to a spirited commenter on that post and explained my reasons a bit more fully.

Today, the Dean’s Blog posted a guest editorial which makes the following claims/suggestions:

• The US is divided, unhappy, starving, and hated worldwide;
• Global warming caused Hurricane Gustav;
• Newspapers are full of suicide bombings;
• All students should vote, just not in Massachusetts;
• The last 8 years were a total disgrace.

Elmore introduces the guest post in “How Does Your Vote Really Count?”

“I often wonder if my vote is like pressing the botton [sic] on the walk signal at a street crossing — does it matter?”

Since Elmore started with a near-non sequitur, I suppose I’ll start there, too.

No, Dean Elmore, pushing those buttons probably doesn’t matter. Take New York City’s example:

“The city deactivated most of the pedestrian buttons long ago with the emergence of computer-controlled traffic signals, even as an unwitting public continued to push on, according to city Department of Transportation officials. More than 2,500 of the 3,250 walk buttons that still exist function essentially as mechanical placebos, city figures show. Any benefit from them is only imagined…

… Most of the buttons scattered through the city, mainly outside of Manhattan, are relics of the 1970′s, before computers began tightly choreographing traffic signal patterns on major arteries.”

I’d bet the situation in Boston is similar. Now that we’ve answered one of Life’s Big Questions, let’s move along to the bulk of the post, written by Dr. Margaret Ross, Boston University’s Director of Behavioral Medicine:

“I am not a particularly politically knowledgeable person …”

Eep. Admitting a lack of knowledge about a topic as an introduction to 300 words on it? I’ll let that slide. And though Dr. Ross isn’t a “particularly politically knowledgeable person,” I am – so on with the show:

“…but this election scares me more than others have.  The country is in a very vulnerable state:  people are terribly divided and angry, scared about their survival, we have been in a prolonged recession with no sign of relief, prices for basic necessities are high, healthcare is more of a mess than ever, the weather patterns show inexorable climate change (yet another storm is ravaging the Caribbean, Cuba and will travel to the southeastern United States).”

I agree partly with Dr. Ross – I’m not scared, but I’m concerned. That said, I’m not a hyperbolic fearmonger like Dr. Ross.

We’re not all “terribly divided and angry.” I hold a very unpopular view of the political climate for my demographic, and I don’t sympathize with most of the friends I have. I’m not angry at them, and that philosophical/conceptual rift is normal when one is truly in a diverse crowd. Relax, Dr. Ross – this isn’t a civil war between Code Pink and the Westboro Baptist Church. It’s just people being people.

Also, I’m not worried that I won’t survive. Gas prices are high – it’s a serious hardship for those who don’t live in a city. Those fuel prices make food more expensive, too, but we aren’t starving. Because I’ve cut back on shrimp and clams isn’t evidence that I’m “scared about [my] survival.” It just means I eat more soup and pasta.

And this is where the Good Doctor’s hyperbole and fearmongering really comes in – recession. Things aren’t wonderful – we all know that – but Hell in a Handbasket isn’t around the corner, either. For a crash course on what a recession is, check the Wikipedia entry.

Then consider that the GDP in the second quarter grew by 3.3%, according to the Department of Commerce, that inflation is nowhere near the 12% it was in 1980, and that our civilian unemployment rate of about 6% isn’t all that bad.

It’s also news to me that “inexorable climate change” is linked directly to Hurricane Gustav. Then again, I’ve only got a BA, so she’s the expert.

“We are fighting a war that few can comprehend or believe in.”

Actually, Dr. Ross, the polls aren’t as dire as you make them out to be. About 2 in 3 Americans oppose the war in Iraq – while that’s a majority, considering 1 out of 3 to be “few” is intellectually dishonest or downright ignorant [I'll let you choose]. Feel free to look over these poll results for several questions re: the war in Iraq.

“We are not respected as the force for good that we have been in the post World War II era; quite the contrary.”

I’d dispute that assertion if it wasn’t a book-length discussion. I’ll pass.

“Newspapers are filled with suicide bombings and natural disasters and we almost have to become hardened in order to continue to function.”

I hate to sound crass, but at this point I think that Dr. Ross reads only the New York Times and never leaves Boston/Cambridge.

“So, it seems to me that this election is a turning point.  We have two strong candidates, with very different ideas about how things might be done to begin to repair the horrendous damage of the last few years.”

It should be a turning point either way. I don’t think we have two strong candidates – I think we have only one – and I don’t think that you really think there are two strong candidates, either.

“My hope is that students all over America will vote.  It usually will mean registering and often will require procuring an absentee ballot.  I also hope that students will register to vote in their home states.  In general, Massachusetts votes Democrat.  There is every reason to expect this will be the case in the 2008 election.  Therefore, the votes of the many students in school throughout Massachusetts will be more significant if they are cast in the states from which these many thousands of students have journeyed.”

Any advice for those New Yorkers at Boston University whose vote is useless, using that rational model, regardless of where they cast it?

“PLEASE register to vote, and please register in your home state.  Your vote will be crucial.  The votes of the many American students could well determine the results of what promises to be a very close election.

We have lived for many years with the results of what was a fatally flawed election in 2000.  My hope is that 2008 will bring us a new start.”

I don’t think it was “fatally flawed” at all. Oddly enough, the Supreme Court and our electoral college system both support me.

Dean Elmore takes over:

“Thanks Dr. Ross.  I’m going to take another view.

Isn’t voting in local elections more important?  Do local and state officials, and our representatives to Washington make more of a difference in the quality of our daily routines?”"

That’s an issue worth discussing.

But first, Dean Elmore might want to consider why he posted a tendentious, intellectually dishonest, ill-informed guest editorial that embarrassed his office and his University. Differing viewpoints are good and discussion is good – as long as everyone is informed, fair and honest.

Well, first, I can’t really afford it – let’s get that out of the way. I wish I could, but right now I can’t.

Aside from that limitation, I don’t give to my University’s general fund because of irresponsible, inefficient spending. I don’t want to donate money to a University when those funds are spent on frivolous projects outside the central purposes of higher education – for example, voter registration.

I’d donate my time and professional expertise, though.

trite, adj. Overused, “lacking in freshness of effectiveness.” Recommended synonyms: hackneyed, stale, shopworn.

The semester has officially begun – as signaled by Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore pandering to the kiddies on his Dean’s Blog. After inviting the University’s youth to spend a few minutes listening to Mary J. Blige, Elmore advises:

“Finally, if you are eligible to do so, I encourage you to register to vote.  I mean no political endorsement when I encourage you to take a look at the Rock the Vote Web site and use their easy registration forms.  (If you can suggest other sites, send them to me and I will post a tweet.)”

I’ve got a few suggestions, though they may not “jive,” as the kids say [!], with Elmore’s commitment to MTV politics. Students can:

• Fill out The National Mail Voter Registration Form available through the Federal Elections Commission.
• Visit the League of Women Voters website for more voting/registration resources than you can count.
• Google “voter registration” and see that every state makes it easy to register.

Those are a few of the “other sites” that we already pay for via taxes or private donations. Rocket science, Dean Elmore? No – common sense.

“If you drop off a voter registration form to my office, we’ll make sure it gets to the right place.”

I’d rather you focused on the business of education – God knows there’s plenty to do, even at an excellent University like [y]ours. Stick to your job.

No unnecessary bureaucracy or responsibilities. Really, Dean Elmore, if you want your students to register to vote, have them print out the federal form at drop it in a mailbox. That’s all it takes – and familiarizing students with one of the few no-nonsense facets of our republic is a better idea than coddling and nannying.

“Look for voter registration drives organized by departments, clubs, and organizations around campus.  Remember that elections are held this and every year.”

Boston University isn’t a rotten place – it’s wonderful, and it pumps out many talented graduates. Elmore, however, doesn’t see a problem with having to suggest to those on whom degrees will be conferred that elections happen every year.

Maybe it’s a reminder to international students new to Planet America? Probably not, since they aren’t voters.

“This Friday, during our weekly Coffee & Conversation session, let’s talk about voting and the upcoming election of the leader of the world.”

I’m as pro-American as any sensible person can get, but I don’t describe the President of the United States as the “leader of the world.” Leader of the free world has certain connotations – I’ll go with that – but I’ll leave titles like “King of the World” to young, excited lovers leaning precariously off the bow of a ship.

Maybe I’ll drop by the Coffee and Conversation the next time I’m on campus. Perhaps we could talk about treating college students as adults.

FYI, I prefer espresso.

I’ll leave you with Dean Elmore’s post script:

P.S.

I confess that I dig Girl Talk – can’t wait to see him on September 20.  I’ve got two extra tickets.  I’ll give them to the person who sends me the coolest photo of life at BU.  You can send the photo to dos@bu.edu by Tuesday, September 16, 2008.  I’ll post some of the good pictures.  Good luck!

Visit this blog often.

UPDATE: There’s a follow-up to this post at Intellectual Dishonesty and Fearmongering on the Boston University Dean’s Blog.

If ya know what I mean.

I’ve subscribed to the Boston University College Democrats e-mail list for some years now. I was never involved in any political groups when I was a student there, but I knew a few who were. It’s good to stay abreast of what the other folks are doing – not out of stool-pigeon-y creepiness, just for information’s sake. As I wrote in the comments over at NYC Educator, everyone should go to as many events on the other side as possible.

And everyone graduate should subscribe to his alma mater’s political lists because, well… occasionally there’s some top-notch entertainment. From the BUCD:

“Hey!  Hope everyone is as excited as we are to start a new year of college democrats fun!”

Well, I know I’m ready. Are you?

Our first meeting will be on this Thursday (That’s tomorrow!!) at 7PM in CAS 316.

Subliminal nanny-statism. These College Democrats don’t even trust that I know that since today is Wednesday, tomorrow is Thursday.

“We will be meeting each other…”

Were you planning to get together to meet… other people?

“… for some mixers and a bit of discussion on what events we have on the radar this semester as well as what we want our goals for the year to be.”

31 words to say “set the semester’s and year’s agenda.” Very college democrat. But here’s where it gets laughable:

“Freshmen get excited!”

You bet they do! Does the University still offer WR 150? If so, do they cover the comma?

“Freshman representative elections are coming up!  Freshman representatives are in charge of getting new members, keeping regular members active, and have the opportunity to see how the BU college democrats is run first hand!”

… and there’s the comedy. Freshmen are enslaved’n'indentured, not unlike a really cruddy frat, to do all the grunt work – with the lure that they’re “seeing it all first hand [sic].” If that doesn’t describe the elitist wing of the Democrat party, nothing does.

“It’s an excellent experience and a great way to get involved.”

Just in case you might’ve thought it was a raw deal, there ya go.

“Finally, this Friday we will be holding signs for John Kerry visibility.”

Really? John Kerry needs “visibility” in Boston, Massachusetts? Is the BUCD afraid that Kerry might slip below an 80% favorability rating in MA? Good Lord, what a waste of time. The BUCD could be out campaigning in small, contested local races, or even just doing some community awareness/public service, but no – they’re making sure that John Kerry’s visible.

I pasted their paragraph to a friend who thought it was a joke statement written by the College Republicans. Seriously.

“You can meet up with the group in Marsh Plaza at 8:00 AM. Look for a cute blond girl with a sign.”

Despite my noted objections, I’m sold.

I try not to criticize without providing a little value to the target, so I’ve got a treat for the BUCD. Feel free to right-click and ‘save as’ the jpeg logo in this post. I optimized it for the web – for you, for free! It went from 46kb to 5kb.

Reducing bandwidth by 90% without any loss of quality? That’s how Reagan would’ve rolled it if he’d had Photoshop.

Read on, lest ye think I’m a xenophobe.

The greatest moment in sports history – professional, amateur, Olympic, any – was the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team’s Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid. Coach Herb Brooks assembled a team of college kids from the hockey capitals of the East and Midwest. Then he trained them to defeat the Soviet hockey machine, itself arguably the greatest dynasty in sports history [sorry, Yankees].

But The Miracle, that singular story of David, Goliath and the American spirit, wasn’t for the gold medal. After defeating the Soviets, we weren’t even guaranteed any medal. We had to beat Finland in the next game.

At this point, all of the interviews, books, articles and clips are a big blur. I don’t know who said it – my memory tells me that it was fellow Terrier Mike Eruzione, though I might be wrong – but the Americans didn’t defeat the Soviets just to “lose to a bunch of friggin’ Finns” in the final game.

Herb Brooks, God rest his soul, and Eruzione would do well to steer clear of the medal count at The Education Olympics hosted by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 51 medals have been awarded so far, and with some countries not participating [China, India, etc.], the United States’ neck is unburdened by bling.

Finland leads the way with 14 medals; Hong Kong follows with 7, Estonia and New Zealand with 5. Even Liechtenstein and Slovenia have earned medals.

There are worse, more sinister countries to lose to – if we’ve got to lose the Education Olympics, I’m pleased that we’re losing to Finland.

But the truth is that 28 years after taking the gold in Lake Placid, we’re losing the Education Olympics to a bunch of friggin’ Finns – and I won’t pretend otherwise. American education needs a Herb Brooks, with some Mike Eruziones, Jim Craigs and Mark Johnsons, and we need them fast.

The title of this post is what it really boils down to – but there’s more to the story than apathy.

In “How Our Culture Keeps Students Out of Science,” Peter Wood argues that our dependence on foreign STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Math] students, including Bill Gates’ 2008 call for the extension of H-1B visas to these graduates, shows how poorly the United States develops its own STEMmies. Actually, we don’t develop too many – we just cross our fingers and hope that kids have their priorities straight and the resources they need:

“Success in the sciences unquestionably takes a lot of hard work, sustained over many years. Students usually have to catch the science bug in grade school and stick with it to develop the competencies in math and the mastery of complex theories they need to progress up the ladder. Those who succeed at the level where they can eventually pursue graduate degrees must have not only abundant intellectual talent but also a powerful interest in sticking to a long course of cumulative study. [...]

“It [contemporary American education] begins by treating children as psychologically fragile beings who will fail to learn — and worse, fail to develop as “whole persons” — if not constantly praised. The self-esteem movement may have its merits, but preparing students for arduous intellectual ascents aren’t among them. What the movement most commonly yields is a surfeit of college freshmen who “feel good” about themselves for no discernible reason and who grossly overrate their meager attainments.”

That isn’t terribly conducive to the study of science, math and its brethren. If you needed one line to sum up Wood’s argument, here it is:

“The intellectual lassitude we breed in students, their unearned and inflated self-confidence, undercuts both the self-discipline and the intellectual modesty that is needed for the apprentice years in the sciences.”

At PhiBetaCons, Mr. Leef beat me to a point Wood didn’t make:

“I think that a significant part of this problem is that to do science you need to be good at math. Sadly, as this recent NCTQ study found, math is often poorly taught in elementary schools because many of the teachers are weak in math themselves and ill-prepared to teach it.”

Not only are they ill-prepared to teach it, they don’t know it in the first place.

Elementary school teachers have a tenuous grasp of the most basic mathematics – and that isn’t an understatement.

Our elementary teachers score about 521 [out of 800] on the Quantitative section of the GRE, a subset of the test that examines algebra, geometry and basic statistical reasoning skills. A score of 520 is not only well below the national mean of 584; it’s around the 31st percentile of all test-takers. In other words, 7 out of 10 test-takers with undergraduate degrees score better on a basic math skills test than elementary teachers en route to graduate school [pages 13 and 18, available for download, 4.1mb Adobe PDF].

Our high school teachers fare little better. They pull in at 576 – about the 42nd percentile of all test-takers.

And these aren’t just statistics, they’re personified in communities everywhere. When I was in high school, I chose not to take AP Calculus because the teacher was such a useless dolt – he just plain didn’t know math [he still teaches at my alma mater, so if he's reading this, Hi!]. I waited and took calculus with the engineering students in my first semester of college.

K-12 teachers don’t know much about even the most foundational mathematics. That our schools don’t cultivate students interested in STEM careers shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Yesterday I posted a 42 minute podcast of William Arrowsmith’s “The Future of Teaching: The Molding of Men.” It addresses, in part, the growing trend to spend more time on the technical details of scholarship than on teaching students how to teach.

Well, Arrowsmith was pointing to that trend in 1967, but he could’ve made an even stronger case in 2008.

My alma mater, Boston University, put out a notice today about an on-campus event called “Teaching Doctoral Students How to Teach.”

Providing opportunities for doctoral students to learn and refine successful pedagogical practices has many short and long term benefits for the advisor, student, and institution. Many researchers prefer that their doctoral students do not invest the time to be effective teaching assistants due to the time it takes away from their laboratory endeavors. This self-serving philosophy does the doctoral student a disservice and is a myth. Please join Dr. Hoagland as he shares how his experience with the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate improved the focus on teaching in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology and how this improvement led to strengthening the graduate program. [emphasis mine]

Drawing pedagogy – really, developing mastery in teaching – out of graduate students is tougher in some disciplines than in others. The history student will simply find it an easier logistical fit than the budding neuroscientist.

But I can’t help pointing out that the content of this event, hosted by the Center for Excellence in Teaching in 2008, has been covered several times before – including by the University’s own former Professor Arrowsmith in The Future of Teaching and The Shame of the Graduate Schools.

An afternoon-long event is a start and I’m pleased to see it. But can we, as a University community, look to the past to make stronger commitments in the present and future on an issue that really matters – teaching – and make the event open to more than just faculty?

I sure hope so.