by Head of School Dr. Mike Davis

This week there was a great editorial by the New York Times’ David Brooks on how higher education, in recent years, has failed to provide moral and ethical instruction.  His piece is a reminder of the importance of the humanities in teaching essential elements of being a kind person.  Brooks’ writing encourages us to remember there is a higher purpose in our learning. (Click here to read his editorial.)

 

As he notes, many major universities and colleges were originally connected to a major religious denomination. Disclaimer: I attended an Episcopal high school and a Presbyterian University, and I taught for 12 years at an Episcopal school. All were inclusive and ecumenical in their philosophies, but their religious roots were a core part of each institution’s identities and missions.  All encouraged a humanistic approach to education that challenged students to think about their place in the universe.  Brooks says that even though many schools have become more secular, there is still the possibility that they can help students understand core elements of their humanity: “The trick is to find a way to talk about moral and spiritual things while respecting diversity.”

 

In conversations with our college counselors, their observations reflect a message in much of child rearing today that says little should stand in the way of a child’s “race to the top.”  In this country, colleges are often evaluated on one's “return on investment” as measured in graduates’ average income.  Colleges are responding by promoting internships, career placement, and the like.

 

Brooks echoes this theme: “Universities are more professional and glittering than ever, but in some ways there is emptiness deep down. Students are taught how to do things, but many are not forced to reflect on why they should do them or what we are here for. They are given many career options, but they are on their own when it comes to developing criteria to determine which vocation would lead to the fullest life.”

 

Brooks argues that institutions of higher education should embark on four things:

1)   “Reveal moral options”: help students understand the diversity of moral conceptions of our world by studying different theological and philosophical traditions.

2)   “Foster transcendent experiences”: give students experiences (both amazing and challenging) in the real world outside the Ivory Tower.

3)   “Investigate current loves and new things to love”: the essential part of any educational institutions.

4)   “Apply the humanities”: pull from greater writers, historians, and artists’ life-lessons that students can apply to their world.

 

I encourage you to read his piece.  Education needs to be about more than preparing for that first job that will lead one up an economic ladder. To be sure, emerging from highly expensive colleges and universities with solid and marketable skills is important. But, education leads to helping one better understand the human condition, and, in the process, helps us understand who we are.  That is something we try to do at CA by engaging students in conversations about ethical behavior, providing for authentic learning experiences, encouraging students to develop passionate interests, and offering a true liberal arts education.