The Value of Higher Ed
Your March 12 article "The Measure of Learning" on college efficacy was of particular interest to me. But the cover title, "Is College Worth It? Besides a degree, are you really getting what you paid for?" highlights one of the biggest problems we professors face today: the idea that degrees are bought rather than earned. This has led to a consumerism mentality among college students and their parents, where professors then become customer service representatives rather than true educators. And appeasement of students is the name of the game when it comes to recruiting them, as they are often footing the bill in the face of shrinking governmental subsidies.
ALISON BARTON
Assistant Professor of Human Development and Learning
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City
While I was delighted to read your commendation of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, I want to point out that the University of Texas system as a whole has made a commitment to accountability and student outcome measurement that is now regarded as a national model. The UT system has been a pioneer on this issue in Texas, as it was the first to implement an accountability program. The Collegiate Learning Assessment is only one small part of a rigorous approach to accountability. It is not an exit examination but an instrument that measures the value added by an educational institution. It gives us an indication of how a student's written communication, problem solving, and analytical skills have improved as completion of the undergraduate experience approaches.
MARK G. YUDOF
Chancellor
The University of Texas System
Austin
Having worked in higher education for 24 years, my goal is for every student to be able to eventually say exactly what Pura Vida Coffee cofounder John Sage said about his work: "I've landed at a great intersection. In the words of Frederick Buechner, the Presbyterian minister, that's the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet" ["From High Tech to High Minded," March 12]. Buechner's formula should also be the starting point for creating curricula and measuring outcomes. By life's end, no other measures will make much difference.
PATRICIA HUNT
Chaplain
Mary Baldwin College
Staunton, Va.
Stock Watch
To not attribute the decreased initial public offerings in the United States even partially to Sarbanes-Oxley is unrealistic ["Is Wall Street Losing Its Luster?" March 12]. Bold actions are needed to restore shareholder confidence and stop the erosion of shareholder wealth and U.S. global competitiveness. I fully support regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley that were created with the intent to keep New York and the United States an attractive place to conduct business. SEC Director of the Office of International Affairs Ethiopis Tafara is correct when mentioning how other major markets have implemented reforms similar to Sarbanes-Oxley. But he fails to mention how far less restrictive these reforms are on investors.
PAUL A. SHARMAN
President and CEO
Institute of Management Accountants
Montvale, N.J.
No Faith in the Film
At the top of my list of grievances regarding "Who Is Entombed in the 'Jesus Tomb'?" [March 12] is the implication that the nonsense perpetrated by The Lost Tomb of Jesus has led to Christians "questioning what the documentary might mean for the core teachings of their faith." I have not encountered a single Christian who gave serious thought to the claims made in the film, while I've encountered many who thought the media gave too much coverage to a poorly supported thesis.
BRIAN DROST
University Place, Wash.
Correction: "The Best Careers for 2007" [March 19] should have reported the degree requirement for a registered nurse is an associate's degree.
This story appears in the April 9, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
advertisement