CHS Leads Cross College Discussion about Connection between School and Life
In late January, the College of Health Sciences hosted a discussion about the connection between higher education and "the real world," with Deans Shafik Dharamsi (Health Sciences), Clifton Tanabe (Education) and Denis O'Hearn (Liberal Arts) as moderators and over 70 student, faculty and staff attendees from the three colleges.
During the event, the deans referred frequently to an article published in 2016 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, entitled "Higher Education's Public Purpose," in which the author, Bethany Zecher Sutton, suggested that most students and their families view higher education through the lens of the "return on investment," i.e. where can I work and how much can I make, rather than on learning outcomes and opportunities to become problem solvers for the greater good of humanity. The deans probed both students and faculty on this issue, with some students boldly expressing that they preferred not to be in the classroom but rather out in the "real world" learning the skills they needed for their future professions. Others provided examples of community engaged curricular activities they participated in, and how it impacted them on a personal level as well as academically. Faculty expressed genuine interest and support for engaging students in these activities, with the hope that the knowledge being generated would one day be used towards solving some of the most pressing issues facing our nation and world. Stay tuned for an announcement of the next Dean's Dialogues session! Go Miners!
Photo courtesy of J.R. Hernandez, University Communications