We are writing today out of concern regarding sentiments like those expressed by Dan Bock in his editorial published on Nov. 1. Under the premises that the sole purpose of collegiate education is preparation for immediate employment and that so-called academic majors are usually inapplicable to the job market, Mr. Bock complains about the inadequacy of his education and advises students to transfer.
As members of the alumni community who are especially interested in the student experience and the success of graduates, we feel it necessary to respond to these claims and offer an alternative position.
The Trustees’ Alumni Council of The College is the major alumni organizing and governing body for alumni affairs and college advancement. Through its many initiatives, members take part in furthering the goals of The College and its graduates. Of these, the Student Life Committee takes a stewardship role for the student experience. Since the one thing that binds all UR alumni through time and distance is their individual version of the student experience, we feel it is our special obligation to preserve and enhance it for all members of the UR family.
Tension
There is a natural and creative tension between the need to be well educated and the need to be well employed. It is quite understandable for any UR student to feel some angst and fiscal anxiety at the thought of transitioning from a place which is protected from the concerns of basic needs into a world where it is important to be gainfully employed.
It is a transition as exciting, frightening, and potentially liberating as the transition from high school to UR. As with previous transitions, the formula for success is proactive work and family support. We have felt these feelings, and continue to live with that tension.
Academic is not synonymous with trivial, nor with irrelevant. Rather, it stands for the essential dynamism that is the fuel for society. It pushes, challenges, and occasionally revolutionizes our social surroundings.
The strength of a society is in its imagination and critical review. The value of a liberal and research-oriented education is to be able to choose to think for oneself. Students embody the motto of “always better” when they seek higher standards and critique the world around them.
To learn a trade ? which is far from a profession ? is to get a job.
To learn how to think critically and act responsibly is to enhance your life. As plans change and the world grows, many of the jobs that today’s graduates will hold have not yet been invented. Your education at UR allows you the creativity to invent those jobs and the flexibility to meet the changing demands of the marketplace.
Many of the qualities or skills needed in the job market have little to do with one’s major, instead coming from the informal curriculum or extracurricular activities. The choices you will have will largely be based on your previous choices and experiences. UR provides a fertile opportunity to grow in these areas.
Meeting part-way
Living as a responsible member of educated society is difficult. The UR family should be here to help you. However, you must be willing to meet us part-way. Only the rarest of undergraduates at any institution receive job offers without working for them.
The Career Center has been revamped over the past few years to provide increasingly helpful support for motivated job seekers.
Stay in contact even if you go on to graduate school. On the alumni side, we as members of the Trustees’ Council can work to increase the number of alumni who are involved with the Career Center and in recruiting and advising UR students. We pledge that continuing support. If you continue to stay connected with Rochester, we will work to stay connected with you.
The Student Life Committee of the Trustees’ Alumni Council is interested in playing an integral role in student life at Rochester. In the coming months, we will continue and expand our collaboration with student leaders on programming to enhance student connectivity.
We welcome the opportunity for dialogue through the newspaper and offline venues as well. We want to be part of your family, as you are part of ours.
Huber is a member of the Class of 1999 and currently is a member of the Student Life Committee of the Trustees’ Alumni Council of the College. He can be reached at shuber@campustimes.org.