Some recent events have gotten me back to thinking about the funding of higher education. I used to think about it a lot when I was at Vanderbilt, for it seemed to come up in every class. Most recently, we all saw the article in the O'Colly about OSU making a budget cut of 1.5 million dollars. I have a feeling that is just the first of more to come as the economy isn't about to recover anytime soon and the overall enrollment numbers for OSU are predicted to decrease due to a general population trend towards lower numbers of high school students in Oklahoma. At present, OSU gets most of its funding not from the state, but from student tuition and fees. Fewer students equals less funding for OSU.
My home state of Arkansas recently passed a state lottery to help fund higher education. That sounds good on the surface until you get to thinking about where most of that money will come from. Most of it will come from the non college educated poor and lower middle classes. If a state wants a good higher education system, why not just pay for it and invest in it with standard tax dollars. But instead, higher education is one area that state legislatures for some reason find easy to cut when it comes to decreasing funding. Some state universities with around just 10 percent state funding are state universities pretty much in name only.
I don't imagine any Arkansas or Oklahoma legislature member is reading this blog, but if they are, I want them to pay special attention to this paragraph. I work as an academic counselor here at Oklahoma State. In my four and nearly a half years here at OSU I have helped hundreds and hundreds of students leave here with a college degree. And that has been possible because the state of Arkansas gave me a scholarship to attend UALR and the federal government loaned me the money to attend Vanderbilt. I think society as a whole has gotten their initial investment in me back and then some. Something to think about when you decrease the next spending bill that comes up related to higher education.
Showing posts with label College degree. Show all posts
Showing posts with label College degree. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
What besides a degree?
Students come to colleges and universities to get a degree so that they may put themselves in competition for a good paying and satisfying job. That is something everybody knows. But what I think is not stressed enough are the skills and traits students need to have to keep a professional job. I have a short list of what I think are important traits that students will want to show employers early on, i.e. show them that they are more than just a recently stamped college graduate who did well in the interview:
1.) Humility - Nobody wants a know-it-all working for them or over them, especially one just out of college! Accept that there are things you don't know and show that you are more than willing to learn how things are done.
2.) Tact - I think we in academia would do our students a service if we offered Tact 101. Knowing when not to say what you are thinking is a great skill to have in all walks of life, but especially the professional workplace. You don't want to be known as the person who starts cubicle or office wars between co-workers.
3.) Self-awareness - How does this make my company or boss look is a good question to ask before you send that angry email. Being able to step out of your own ego and see how others might view what you are saying and doing can keep you out of a lot of trouble before it begins.
4.) Honesty - If you make the mistake and confess to the error, your employer is likely to be more forgiving than if you try to carry off a cover-up. This is linked back to humility.
5.) Perserverance - A transcript with loads of W's doesn't tell a future employer that you have much ability to see something through when things get difficult. People want to hire people who have the self-confidence to work through the tough patches and see something through to the end.
6.) Dependability - If you say you are going to pick up the job candidate at 6:30 in the morning at the airport, your boss shouldn't be up at night wondering if you'll really do what you said you would do. To be known as a person of your word is a great honor and makes you someone they'll want to keep around the office.
Those are the six that come easily to mind. And you certainly don't have to start practicing them when you get your first job. You can work on these six right now in your dealings with your professors, advisors, fellow students, and your current employer if you have one. You might be able to fool them in the interview and with the resume that you have these traits, but the truth will work itself out if you don't really possess them. And that might just work yourself out of a job no matter the college degree you have on your wall.
1.) Humility - Nobody wants a know-it-all working for them or over them, especially one just out of college! Accept that there are things you don't know and show that you are more than willing to learn how things are done.
2.) Tact - I think we in academia would do our students a service if we offered Tact 101. Knowing when not to say what you are thinking is a great skill to have in all walks of life, but especially the professional workplace. You don't want to be known as the person who starts cubicle or office wars between co-workers.
3.) Self-awareness - How does this make my company or boss look is a good question to ask before you send that angry email. Being able to step out of your own ego and see how others might view what you are saying and doing can keep you out of a lot of trouble before it begins.
4.) Honesty - If you make the mistake and confess to the error, your employer is likely to be more forgiving than if you try to carry off a cover-up. This is linked back to humility.
5.) Perserverance - A transcript with loads of W's doesn't tell a future employer that you have much ability to see something through when things get difficult. People want to hire people who have the self-confidence to work through the tough patches and see something through to the end.
6.) Dependability - If you say you are going to pick up the job candidate at 6:30 in the morning at the airport, your boss shouldn't be up at night wondering if you'll really do what you said you would do. To be known as a person of your word is a great honor and makes you someone they'll want to keep around the office.
Those are the six that come easily to mind. And you certainly don't have to start practicing them when you get your first job. You can work on these six right now in your dealings with your professors, advisors, fellow students, and your current employer if you have one. You might be able to fool them in the interview and with the resume that you have these traits, but the truth will work itself out if you don't really possess them. And that might just work yourself out of a job no matter the college degree you have on your wall.
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