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President
Bobby Fong, "Learning Well the Best Revenge"
Excerpts from new Butler University President Bobby Fong,
in connection with his February 9 inaugural: "Education is
not a panacea, but it is integral to our efforts to combat terrorism
worldwide as well as within our own country. Citizens need wide-ranging
factual information to make wise decisions. Education leaders need
to ensure that all of our students have the knowledge they need
to see through the hateful claims of those who would legitimize
terrorism. Students also need, not just information, but guidance
in how to assess information. Education that consists solely of
information transmission too quickly resembles indoctrination.
Throughout world history education has been a beacon. In this tumultuous
time, we need to find ways to focus its beam as a source of hope.
It's our job, whether as educators, parents, or members of the community,
to teach all children that every person has an innate worth to be
respected and protected. We must encourage them to speak out when
they see authorities falling short of their ideals and to act responsibly
to make the changes they see are needed. Students learn these things
by study and dialogue, but, more importantly, they learn by experiencing
them. We need to encourage students to participate in internships,
volunteer service, and study abroad programs, which introduce them
to other cultures and ideas. Students also learn through observation.
All of us need to consciously live out the values and ideals that
we espouse, reminding ourselves that, in everything we do, the next
generation is watching."
Pew
Research Center Poll Reveals Contrasting Post-September 11 Views
of America
A recent Pew Research Center poll of "influentials"—leaders
in business, government, the media, and culture—in 24 countries
on five continents reveals sharp contrasts in perceptions Americans
have of U.S. policies and their impacts and how differently the
U.S. is seen in other parts of the world, even among Europeans.
The results demonstrate starkly the necessity for expanding international
education in the United States and just how daunting the challenge
is to find revenge through learning, to paraphrase Bobby Fong. Consider
these findings in the Pew poll:
- Only 18% of Americans said U.S. policies and actions were a
"major cause" of the terrorist attacks on September
11; 58% of non-American respondents disagreed, saying they were
a major cause of the attacks.
- 42% of non-Americans said the United States is overreacting
to the attacks; no Americans said the U.S. is overacting.
- 70% of Americans said the U.S. is cooperating with other countries
and taking their interests into account in the fight against terrorism;
only 33% of non-Americans agreed.
- 70% of non-Americans said people in their countries have a good
opinion of the United States (81% of Western Europeans, 52% of
those from Islamic countries).
- 52% of Americans say the world likes the U.S. because of the
good the U.S. does around the world; only 21% of non-Americans
agreed (only 12% of Latin Americans agreed). Everyone agreed that
the U.S. is liked for its democratic ideals and because the U.S.
is the "land of opportunity."
- Only 32% of Americans said that America's scientific and technological
innovations are a major reason for U.S. popularity; 63% of Europeans
and 86% of those from the Middle East said U.S. science and technology
are a major reason the U.S. is admired.
- 70% of Americans believe U.S. support for Israel and 88% believe
U.S. power are primary causes of hostility to the U.S. around
the world; only 29% of non-Americans agreed that Israel is the
cause and barely half said the rest of the world resents U.S.
power, but 52% (61% of Europeans) said the U.S. is disliked because
our leadership of the global economy has made the rich richer
and the poor poorer around the world.
Gerald Whittington, CFO at Elon University (at left), prepares
to lead
fellow ANAC CFO's on an Elon campus tour. More than 60%
of Elon students study abroad.
Jay
Mathews on "Choosing the College that fits Best"
Jay Mathews, a senior education writer at the Washington Post,
wrote a column with the above title in early February. In the column
he tests the hypothesis of George Mason University economist Walter
E. Williams who maintains that "high school students should
not apply to—and their parents should not pay tuition for—colleges
whose average SAT scores are 200 points or more higher than their's."
Williams' primary concern is the experience of minority students
who have alarming drop out rates at such institutions. One study
found, for example, that 70% of African American students failed
to graduate at the University of California at Berkeley, "their
SATs 52 points above the national average but 229 points below the
Berkeley average."
Mathews cites other sources that point out that many low-income
students fall behind in grade school and never "make it to
the starting line" and that the SAT was designed only to predict
first year college grades-not motivation, work ethic, determination,
or love of learning. Mathews concludes that developing student self-confidence
in a supportive academic environment may be a critical factor in
achieving high graduation rates among students in lower SAT tiers,
especially low-income students—in effect overcoming the psychological
burden that low SAT or ACT scores may represent.
Mathews' punch line, "lesser-known undergraduate institutions
often do a better job than the brand name schools in preparing less
confident students for life. Their professors demand as much as
the Nobel laureates at Big Name U., but the academic competition
tends to be friendlier and the teaching better. When it comes time
for real life, that is, graduate school or a first job, the graduate
of the college with the lower average SAT score is still going to
be in good shape." Summing up, Mathews quotes Harvard historian
Stephan Thernstrom, "I suppose if I thought that a Harvard
diploma was a priceless asset in life, I might want my kid to have
one even if his SATs were 200 points below the mean. But I don't
think that at all."
Sunset over Cardinal Stadium, North Central College's new
SafePlay Plus
synthetic surface facility that will seat more than 15,000 and is
to serve
as the home field for the Chicago Fire professional soccer team
during the renovation of Soldier Field next year.
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