The Picture of Education

I was asked to speak to a group of student leaders at our College of Medicine tonight. Although I was originally afraid of showing up late due to other commitments, I actually ended up where I was supposed to be fifteen minutes early. The CoM is located right on the edge of campus, and is not a direction I tend to go unless I have a specific purpose. (The same can be said of course for these students who live in this glorious new building bubble.)

As I was standing in the classroom in which the dinner was being held, I was looking around (the higher education person that I am) and making note of the set up of the room. Six rows of tables, theater style, with cute swivel chairs attached and two plugs placed in between every other seat so each studious student can hook up the trusty laptop. It was a smaller room, but clearly intended for use by students such as those in the CoM.

Taking in the set up of this room, I imagined the students lined up with their sleek notebooks ready to dive into class. This made me think about the number of different visions we can have when we think of what it means to be in college. The image of the hard core academe like I pictured today. The image of the flow of free thought and discussion in an environment more like I experienced in the liberal arts. The over involved achievers that are presidents and honors society members. The fun lovers playing Frisbee on the green. All finding some place not only here but in the world.

Not to say that all these images cannot overlap. Many times they do. But my thought was I find it interesting that when we talk about higher education, we talk about this large nebulous thing and stereotype it into this blob of experience. Yet clearly no one's experience in higher education is the same. I do not think I really have some philosophical point to make here, but I found it an interesting thought to picture all the different images higher education can imply.

What an interesting world in which to work.

Sidenote: Fall semester is so here. Woot.