Fall 2004 Contents
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Notes from the Vice President for Enrollment and College RelationsRobert J. Massa At Dickinson we frequently talk about a “useful education,” a phrase taken from our 1783 charter. But what do we mean? Shouldn’t all education be useful? Do we mean vocational education, which teaches specific skills for a job? Is that “useful?” At Dickinson, of course, “useful” does not imply a narrow, vocational application but, rather, through the curriculum in the classroom and in the field, students learn skills that will help them adapt to a continually changing career environment. A useful education means that courses are interrelated and professors teach students how to solve problems across disciplines, how to think critically and how to communicate. We also want our students to work together in teams and actively learn from the field. Students must emerge from the classroom into the community in order to learn how the world operates. This is a key component of usefulness. In addition, a useful education sees student life and residential life as extensions of the classroom. Ideas are not abstract principles to be discussed only in formal classroom settings. Bringing professors into social settings with students over meals and having them teach in residence halls reinforces that. Most importantly, a useful education creates connections, demonstrating the relationships between and among different subject areas in the context of wider-world applications. These connections include links between people. And it is here that we “focus” in this issue of In Focus. Dickinson’s Career Center helps students make decisions and manage transitions in their lives on a daily basis—not just when it’s time to graduate. The Career Center puts current students together with alumni and others who can help them. Highlighted in this issue are a few examples of the incredible experiences our students derive from summer internships. Internships help students connect what they learn on campus, applying the skills I’ve mentioned to professional situations. Also discussed is Dickinson’s continuing refinement of the “learning community,” and how it affects students’ academic experiences. By blurring the line between academics and student life, we seek to help our students develop habits of living that will contribute to their becoming citizen-leaders. Truly good teaching and learning occurs, according to researchers Pascarella and Kuh, when students learn in teams with close faculty contact and prompt feedback. They also learn best in a campus environment that supports active learning situations (not sitting in a class listening to a lecture all the time), including evening lectures, community service and field work. That is what we do at Dickinson. That is why we say a Dickinson education is “useful.” Enjoy these stories as you prepare to welcome your student home for the holidays. I wish you the best and encourage you to discuss with your students how the concept of a useful education applies to them. Best regards, Robert J. Massa |
