By 1:30 on Tuesday, October 5, please answer one or multiple of these questions:
1) Thomas Erlich (the author) declares that we cannot afford to educate a generation of students who only have knowledge with no understanding of how to use that knowledge to help the community. What do you think about this statement? How does it relate to what you learned about Kolb’s model of experiential learning?
2) What role do you think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should have in setting goals for universities across the country?
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
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Christine Thrasher
October 2, 2010 at 9:35 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
1) Thomas Erlich (the author) declares that we cannot afford to educate a generation of students who only have knowledge with no understanding of how to use that knowledge to help the community. What do you think about this statement? How does it relate to what you learned about Kolb’s model of experiential learning?
When Thomas Erlich says that we cannot afford to educate a generation of students who only have knowledge with no understanding of how to use that knowledge to help the community, he is pointing out the tendency of modern education to emphasize the acquisition of facts and knowledge more than the active use of that knowledge in the community. This tendency produces graduates who are well-read, but lacking practice in actual civic engagement. Erlich would likely support the implementaion of Kolb’s model of experiential learning in today’s unversities, which includes concrete experience, observation and reflection, forming abstract concepts, and testing knowledge in new situations. Instead of focusing only on one facet of this cycle, Erlich encourages students to engage in the whole process, which will produce a fuller and more effective education.
Jennifer Madamba
October 4, 2010 at 10:52 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I definitely agree with your response here. I think that Erlich emphasizes the fact it’s more important for people to take what they have learned to in school and utilize them in our in our communities and in our societies. I think what he is trying to say is that they can’t afford to spend too much time on individuals who attain knowledge for themselves and not use them for the greater good.
Anthony La
October 4, 2010 at 2:27 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I don’t see how you can possibly disagree with Christine or Jennifer. Higher education i believe should not only teach students how to get a high GPA but it should also promote character and virtue. I feel as though nowadays the value of ones GPA is so great that students merely strive to get the highest GPA they can and disregard other aspects of education such as civic engagement. It seems as though education consists of students memorizing class material and regurgitating it during exams and forgetting it right after. We need to take this knowledge, understand it and give back to the community. This promotes character, which i believe is essential in determining success of higher education.
Nirav Bhardwaj
October 4, 2010 at 3:58 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Saying that our public education system heavily focuses on GPA and memorizing facts is a generalization and a misconception. Public universities provides students with thousands of opportunities outside of the classroom – many of which are related to public service and civic engagement. It is up to the students to have the will and desire to take advantage of the opportunities provided to them.
Also I believe it would not be right to force students to commit to civic engagement. A large aspect of civic and community engagement is doing it from your heart or simply out of your free will.
If parents are really worried about sending their kids to schools which promote materials outside the general “book-study” education, they can always send their children to the thousands of private universities and high schools in the US.
Anthony La
October 4, 2010 at 10:28 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
i never said that public universities don’t provide students with opportunities outside of the classroom..i’m just bringing up the over importance of ones GPA as it heavily influences ones future. Thats not a misconception by any means.
And if students don’t want to service their communities on their own free will then i believe that the university has failed in its duty to educate the student. I personally went to a private high school, so i don’t know if i am asking to much from a student but i believe that the university has partially failed if students disregard their communities. An education should promote your character and not merely teach you how to run a maze and A’s on exams.
Anthony La
October 4, 2010 at 10:29 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
*my apologies for using ‘students’ multiple times.
Ai-Thuan Nguyen
October 2, 2010 at 11:21 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) In my opinion, the cooperation of administrators, faculty, staff, and students will create a more powerful impact in the community compared to separate attempts. With student assistance, the administrators and staffs will be able to speak to a wider range of the student population. If it was not for the students, administrators will not have that much of an influence over the students. Even though they are in a place of power, it is the students who convince each other to participate in events together. Without resources provided by administrators, students will not be able to do much in the community. Most likely, staffs and faculties know many important figures throughout which will make joint efforts effective. With this said, one can not coexist without the other. It is a give and take relationship, which works out in the end.
Patricia Chiu
October 4, 2010 at 7:18 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
You bring up very good points. I too believe that the administrators, faculty, staff, and students all have an impact on the turnout of events. Though, I was confused about what Gillian meant by “staff.” Does “staff” include custodians and the people who work behind the scenes (during school sponsored concerts)? If so, I think that the “staff” are really important too because they are ones who provide clean-up after school sponsored events like Shocktoberfest. If there wasn’t someone to clean up the mess after an event, I doubt that the administrators would agree to have the event take place.
I interpreted question three differently. Upon reading three I thought that Gillian was talking about the whole Irvine community, not just UCI. But I guess that’s what makes these blogs so interesting; many people may not seen the question in the same way I did.
Patricia Chiu
October 4, 2010 at 7:20 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
correction:
*have seen (2nd paragraph)
Dulshani BalasuriyaArachchi
October 3, 2010 at 4:15 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
2) What role do you think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should have in setting goals for universities across the country?
Carnegie foundation is a policy and research center where they publish reports on every level of education. It is a well known and credible foundation that provides financial aid for low income students and more importantly do research on importance of different levels and aspects of education. I think, when setting goals for universities the research findings of foundations like this should be taken into consideration. Studies done by these foundations show the outcomes and effectiveness of different types of education provided in colleges and universities. Thus, when setting goals, these research findings can be used to determine whether to modify, eliminate or continue with the existing educational criteria.
Leslie Mendoza
October 3, 2010 at 4:36 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Erlich’s idea that a dual relationship between “knowledge” and “understanding” need to co-exist in order to benefit the community is something that seems valid. If you go to school and only memorize “knowledge,” you will be limited to a small box room of thought and won’t be able to think outside of it. It’s like memorizing (and knowing) how to do math equations while at the same time, you won’t be able to recognize the day to day situations that require it. As students, it feels like it’s our responsibility to be curious and strive towards having learning experiences that give us new perspectives. At the same time, I don’t think that the dual relationship of knowledge and understanding is only restricted to being present within a single individual because it could also belong to a partnership or a group of people.
Relating to Kolb’s experiential learning, all learners despite being better in reflective, active, concrete or abstract learning still unconsciously require the other three forms of learning. If you specialize in one thing, you merely adapt to that method alone and you miss out on other things. That’s why it is important to both know the problems that exist and understand in order to bring about a solution (I think).
Leslie Mendoza
October 3, 2010 at 4:37 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Question 1 sorry!!!
David Dinh
October 3, 2010 at 6:36 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I think organizations, like the Carnegie Foundation, and their roles are currently sufficient in setting goals for universities. These organizations should be a sort of think-tank, an advisory entity that gives various advices, options, and strategies on what universities could implement into their curriculum. With far reaching perspectives, these organizations might also find themselves creating nationalized standards for educational systems to consider. However, it should be the responsibility of the university and its associates to look at research done by organizations like the Carnegie Foundation and apply those that suit the needs of the university. Having these more global organizations, rather than the university, deal with the research for improved methods will allow universities to focus on the implementation of those methods.
Stephen Mendez
October 3, 2010 at 6:47 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
In regards to question 1, I believe that statement in itself is up for interpretation and requires qualification. Although there are immense costs in teaching this generation it would cost us a lot more in the long run to deprive them of crucial knowledge which would allow them to be a useful and upstanding citizen in our society. This alone is not enough however, because students must be given the tools to use this knowledge to become that useful and upstanding citizen we need them to be. In simplified terms, students need to be taught critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is something which Kolb’s experimental model of learning aims to teach through its cycle of: feeling-observation-reflection-experimentation. It is as an asian proverb says: “Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking without learning is dangerous.”
Nicole Fulbright
October 3, 2010 at 8:42 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
To address question number three, I definitely think that it would be in the best interest of the community if the students, staff, faculty and administrators worked together to further UCI’s involvement within the community. If all four sectors of the UCI community were to combine their strengths, passion, intellect and talents, the surrounding community would be far better off than if each sector attempted to work alone. Each of these groups are actually incredibly diverse and can offer different things to the community. Students and faculty/administrators/staff are most greatly different from each other based on age group. Students of my generation are the most knowledgeable on the most current technology. Such technology allows more widespread and efficient efforts to improve our communities. Along with being technologically savvy, our generation are the most passionate about helping others and making an impact on the community, local and global. I think that this, coupled with the wisdom, authority and credibility of the administration and staff of UCI, would create a huge impact on our community.
Kellie St. Pierre
October 5, 2010 at 10:28 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I agree you with your response, combining administrators, faculty, staff, and students would only strengthen UCI’s role in the community. I think each “sector” as you were saying does bring something valid to the table that may be a strength in another’s weakness. Especially with the diversity and experience within each sector, we as a unit would all be able to learn from each other and expand the knowledge of each individual. Last year, I worked on a committee of about 15 undergrads, 2 faculty advisors, and additional faculty members and staff to produce UCI’s “Care-A-Thon” event-a dance marathon in which we raised money for the NICU. With all the different skills and talents brought from every angle, it was evident that the service event would not have flourished, yet alone even taken place if the project laid in the hands of just an undergraduate committee, or and all faculty committee, etc. Wisdom and experience would be attributes of the faculty and staff, and passion and technology knowledge would shine through the students. This is just one example on a smaller scale of the UCI community, however, this diverse committee in the end impacted thousands.
Natasha Zubair
October 3, 2010 at 9:15 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I believe that the administration, faculty, staff, and students need to work together in order for the university to flourish. Since the administration is the highest form of power on campus, it is important to run ideas through them to make sure that a decision gets executed in a professional and legitimate manner. The faculty and staff both bring their advising skills, office resources, connections, and most importantly, experience to guide and mentor the students who are trying to fight for and create change in the university’s community. However great the administration, faculty, and staff may be, an important aspect of the group dynamic is student input. Without the students’ feedback and drive to passionately contribute to the growth of the community, UCI will not be able to advance as well in a civic manner.
Nirav Bhardwaj
October 4, 2010 at 3:41 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I agree that one of the most important things that faculty can bring to the table is the experience and support that they can provide. The faculty is the back-bone to the equation since they have plenty of resources, experience, and networks of affluent individuals in the community.
Hyun Joo (Jessica) Lee
October 3, 2010 at 10:29 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
In response to question number three, I believe that administrators, staff, and students should work together to advance the role of UCI in the community. Students have the numbers, creativity, passion, knowledge of technology, and energy. The faculty, staff, and administrators have more financial resources than us, more outside network access, more experience in the real world, and are more trained. Furthermore, each professor holds a specialization in something unique that can be valuable. When this group works together towards the same vision and goal, we can definitely offer greater change and make a meaningful impact in the world. Moreover, by working together rather than separately, we can set a prominent example in showing how a diverse community with different interests, background, and experiences can join hands together for the betterment of the community and future generations to come.
Natalie Chau
October 3, 2010 at 10:29 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
To answer the third question, I think it will be a lot more effective and beneficial to have administrators, faculty, staff, and students work together in advancing the role of UCI in the community. The four separate groups of people will not benefit the community as much as a joined effort. If administrators, faculty, staff and students were to combine their efforts and work together, they would be able to expand their social networks and be able to reach many more people than they would as separate groups. As administrators/faculty/staff they would all be able to reach the students in different ways. Administrators (being the top of the “hierarchy”) would have the responsibility of approving ideas. Faculty and staff will be able to pull in students in their classes. Students, on the other hand, will be able to help out a lot because they have first hand experience and the perspective of other students as well so they are able to recruit more help. Students can also get their friends to help as well.
Rachel Berman
October 4, 2010 at 12:26 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I would have to agree with the others who have said that Administrators, Faculty, and Students work together in advancing the role of UCI in the community. The collection of these three groups offers a more realistic section of public life. Students will graduate and need to be able to work with people who are not only the same age as they are. While student initiatives are exciting and extremely educational they often need the support of administrators and faculty to bring their plans to fruition. Learning to take support, but also be confident to bring their own abilities and enthusiasm to the project is important and creates gracious leaders. There is already so much insular learning in universities as each department breeds and feeds experts in that field. What makes civic engagement different is that diversity is imperative to its purpose. By having a collective effort to be more involved, we have already bridged some of those gaps.
Jessica Yen
October 4, 2010 at 1:14 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I think administrators, faculty, staff and students should work together in advancing the role of UCI in the community because each sector specializes in a specific domain of knowledge. For instance, administrators in UCI provide leadership and manage day-to-day activities in schools. In addition, they are in charge in directing the educational programs offered, allow community service organizations to partner with the school, and set standards and policies to achieve the university’s goals. Since the administrators also supervise staff and faculty, the staff in turns complies with the policies given and tries their best to educate the students. Given the direction from the administrators, the staff teaches students their specialized area of research and gives students ample opportunities to work with professors in research or go out into the community to conduct their own research. Lastly, students share their ideas and knowledge with other students through campus organizations, clubs, technology, or word of mouth. When the students’ opinions are voiced through media or other expressions, the administrators will hear of their collective attitudes and can help alter or enhance a particular policy. Since each group of individuals is unique yet interconnected in some way, it is best that they work together to better the UCI community through communication and partnership.
Gaurav Nihalani
October 4, 2010 at 10:52 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I personally believe that well coordinated and executed teamwork between multiple groups will result in far better outcomes then the work of one sole organization when accomplishing a similar goal. In terms of advancing the role of UCI in the community obviously the separate groups bring different strengths to the table. For example a UCI student couldn’t do much in terms of funding for the purpose of marketing UCI in the community but they can do a lot in terms of leg work and face to face representation of the school. On the other hand the UCI faculty cannot do much in terms of mobilizing many different groups of students to help with the efforts, as this job would again be given to students. Though this may seem to be a flaw the faculty can however focus its efforts in mobilizing other staff and gaining support for the initiative through their own methods and networks. Each group has their strengths and I feel if everyone worked together in a coordinated effort anything could be achieved.
Jennifer Madamba
October 4, 2010 at 11:02 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I believe that all the administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together in advancing the role of UCI in the community. Each group would contribute a beneficial skill or resource to help the university succeed in its endeavor. The students are the future of our society. With students helping out in this project, they are the only ones who know motivates their fellow students and what they need. The administrators, faculty, and staff have greater knowledge than students when it comes to the community. Because they are for the most part older than the students, they have more experience. Experience would them create goals for the future. In any heirarchy level, each group has an influence and support of another. If students gain support of the staff, the more likely it is for the faculty to understand them and support and vice versa. They have to work together to compromise a plan to advance the role of the UCI community.
Cindy Arias
October 4, 2010 at 11:58 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
In agreeing in the previous responses, I also believe that in advancing community engagement from UCI is best done as a combined effort from different areas and different authority levels. The advanced knowledge that administrators and faculty provide is valuable in leading the organizational and effective path toward strengthing UCI’s role in the community. However, as a student, I have observed the immense diversity that every individual brings tot he school. It should be a collective effort when it comes to community, yet at the same time it should be an effort that breaks away into different areas of our community. Every individuals experience should shape the different needs of the community from individuals who are from the community or who have experienced similar lifestyles and similar obstacles.
Alejandro Barraza
October 4, 2010 at 12:04 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I think administrator, faculty, staff, and students should work together in advancing UCI Irvine’s role in the community. I thought that the feeling of togetherness was one of things that the Campus Compact was trying to get the reader to feel and understand. Through out the whole article, there is not one time when the article singles out a certain group and blames for the low level of civic and community engagement within our college population. Instead, the Campus Compact criticizes today’s college student, colleges, and itself. In short, today’s college student’s disengagement from democratic participation is illustrated in their low voter turnout. Colleges are not succeeding in educating their students that the knowledge they are learning can “immediately benefit society and influence decision making.” It’s College Compact, authors of article, responsibility “to making sure students realize “the values and skills of our democratic society and their need to claim ownership of it.”
I believe the purpose of the Campus Compact is to have administrators, faculty, staff, students, and the community takes responsibility in expanding in civic and community engagement. In short, the Campus Compact preaches that success can only succeed with all sectors combining their skills and resources. For instance, the Campus Compact states that along “two-thirds of recent high school graduates” are entering college, colleges are getting more connected with the community, and that corporate, government, and non-profit sectors are “mobilized” to help the communities in every way. In other words, we have all the pieces to make a difference we just need to work together as a whole. And the article’s benchmark time line from 1985 to 2006 illustrates the success that has attained in the passing years because our society has been working as a whole.
Amy Sage
October 4, 2010 at 2:16 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I believe that administrators, faculty, staff, and students should all work together in advancing the role of UCI in the community. Each individual is able to contribute to the cause in their own way bringing different skill sets for use. The fact that we are a diverse campus gives us the opportunity to interact with many different communities in the area. Not to mention, older members of UCI will offer experience and wisdom not yet known to the younger generations. The fresh faces of UCI may also have new perspectives of more recent hardships that plague certain communities. If we were to bring together a diverse group from UCI to help the community, we may have the power to reach more people.
Elim Loi
October 4, 2010 at 2:19 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
2. I think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should influence universities across the country to set goals for their students and how they are going to educate them. They can show the importance and value of their hard work as citizens in benefiting their society. Their role should be to continue to encourage community work by recruiting volunteers and partnering with community organizations. Money is helpful in offering different opportunities for service learning, but the role of these organizations should focus on challenging leaders in the universities to set goals for their university and students to be motivated to take on responsibilities of civic engagement.
Nirav Bhardwaj
October 4, 2010 at 3:37 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Administrators, faculty, staff, and students should all work together in order to advance the role of UCI in the community. The reason for this is simple; each of these groups brings different talents and resources to the table. Many times, administrators and faculty have powerful voices within the community because they are well-respected based upon their profession. They also have the financial ability sponsor events in order for them to reach as many people as possible. On the other hand, students generally have a lot of free time and are motivated to go out and make a difference in the world. They can reach large amount of people by using new technologies such as social networks.
You can also see this as a trickle-down effect. That is, if more faculty members become involved, it could inspire and open the door for students to get their feet wet within the community.
At the end of the day the point is: “the more the merrier”. If more and more people decide to start small by helping in anyway possible in the community, the small effects will add up and make a large difference.
Noelia Hernandez
October 4, 2010 at 4:31 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
2) What role do you think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should have in setting goals for universities across the country?
It would be interesting to see how the level of community engagement would change if organizations like the Carnegie foundation played a significant role in drafting goals for universities in the US. What impact would this have? I think service organizations like Carnegie foundation should play a more central role in organizing a deeper level of community engagement.. Not only raising awareness among college students but encouraging and in fact possibly even forming it as part of the curriculum would have even greater significance. When many people come together for the betterment of the underprivileged in our societies, I expect there will be an opportunity for positive change.
Jennifer Lazaro
October 4, 2010 at 5:48 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I agree with this statement. The reason for why I believe this to be true is because an educated student that learns theories and reads about cases and investigations that focus on making a difference or how to improve certain things cannot really understand what they are learning until they have witnessed it first hand. They need to experience it in order to completely agree with what they have learned. If they don’t, it will always be a theory, an idea that they learned in school and never a true issue for them. Having witnessed or putting what they have learned into practice makes them appreciate the knowledge that they have acquired, therefore allowing them to sympathize with the community, making them more eager to help out. An educated person has an advantage over many people in the community; they study structure, theories, and possible solutions to many problems that are seen in communities. Having all this knowledge in their hands can be very useful to the community if they know how to apply what they have learned to the real world. If they don’t, then all this knowledge goes to waste. Our communities cannot afford to have a generation of students that do not know how to use their knowledge because at the end, nothing changes and all that knowledge simply goes to waste. It connects to Kolb because they both aim for the same thing: going out and learning through experience and getting involved. Kolb’s model of experiential learning focuses on educating ourselves, learn about the issues, think of possible ways to resolve it, and finally going out and experimenting various ways on how to solve the problems. If there is no active experimentation or no understanding on how to use that knowledge then no difference can ever be made.
Alexis Utanes
October 4, 2010 at 6:47 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
In response to #1:
I think this statement is highly applicable to all levels of education today. In school, students are bombarded with tons of data and time-sensitive assignments that many resort to cramming for a test or winging their way through essays without internalizing the knowledge they could gain. Not only do students not understand how to use their newly gained knowledge, but once the deadline has passed the information disappears from their minds. Actively applying their acquired skills and information through experience can make a real difference. In my opinion, after engaging in such experience, many students oscillate between having a “concrete experience” (or doing/having an experience) and “reflective observation” (reviewing/reflecting on the experience) according to Kolb’s model of experiential learning. Even if they are doing service learning, individuals may reflect upon their experiences in text for a grade, but after the course or a significant time has passed, the potential to use their experiences to better the community gradually diminishes. Therefore it is important to undergo the last two stages of Kolb’s learning cycle as well. Actually learning from the experience (by “abstract conceptualization”) is different than mere reflection, as it resonates in a person to where they will remember the event for an extended period of time. Finally, this is necessary to use what one has learned (“active experimentation”) in order to positively influence their community. It is through using Kolb’s experiential learning fully, that students can understand how to use knowledge acquired from schools to help the community.
Karina Venegas
October 4, 2010 at 6:59 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
1. I agree with Elrich’s statement because student’s need to have a way of experiencing the knowledge they acquired in class. Simply going to school and learning the material to get a good grade is not sufficient to getting a good education. I think getting a good education should also consist in learning how to apply what you learn in class to real life and it’s even better if with that knowledge you can benefit the community. Also, this statement relates to Kolb’s model of experiential learning because learning does not happen in only one way, on the contrary there are different stages of learning and different types of learning as well and I think that being able to understand the knowledge you acquire in school should also be through real life application and not just exams or papers.
Patricia Chiu
October 4, 2010 at 7:50 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Administrators, faculty, staff, and students, are needed because sometimes it takes a collective effort to mobilize a plan. For example, a chem major has a cousin attending an Irvine high school, where tutoring in chemistry is needed for its students. She fills out a application to start a club and submits it to a board consisting of administrators, faculty, and students for consideration. Eventually, she gets the okay to start the club with other interested UCI students proficient in chemistry. An added bonus to their fledgling club is an enthusiastic Chem 51A professor who is willing to act as mentor and moderator to the tutors and tutees (the high school students).
I agree with Ai-Thuan in his blog post in that this is a give and take process. In this way, the chemistry tutors will be exposed to the world of teaching, which will prove to be an invaluable experience for them if they do decide to teach in the future. When they are not teaching, the chemistry tutors can bond together during their club meetings to discuss their love of teaching and chemistry. The chemistry professor, in bestowing his words of wisdom and advice to the tutor and tutee, can influence them to pursue a career in chemistry. The chemistry tutors, in teaching the high school students, can also encourage them to consider attending UCI for college. The administrators are happy in knowing that UCI may have prospective students from this high school. The tutees may indirectly teach their tutors about patience. In return, the chemistry professor and chemistry tutors feel great about helping students understand chemistry better.
Kevin J. Son
October 4, 2010 at 8:51 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
The question I chose for the reading on, “Campus Compact, Presidents’ declaration on the civic responsibility of higher education” was what role do you think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should have in setting goals for universities across the country? I believe the Carnegie Foundation is giving great examples and goals for universities across the country. The Carnegie Foundation gives many facts and helpful information, which allows universities to grasp on and improve their education systems. I believe the Carnegie Foundation’s role can be displayed as some type of counselor because the organization gives great advises and information on what task universities could take on to sore to higher performances. Universities should utilize these researches done by Carnegie Foundation and apply them to future goals. Organizations like the Carnegie Foundation are the providers with great resources and tips for universities to reach the next level of higher education.
David Moghissi
October 5, 2010 at 12:46 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Great post, Kevin. The “Campus Compact, Presidents’ declaration on the civic responsibility of higher education” really helped me put the idea of civic engagement into perspective. Also, lets hope that more organizations like the Carnegie Foundation will become active in the future.
David Moghissi
October 4, 2010 at 10:53 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I believe that administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work seperately towards advancing the role of UCI in the community. Such an approach would be optimal because each group has its own specialization and could impact society in a unique way.
As managers of the campus, administrators have responsibilities and perspectives that are concerned with more long term issues than students, for example. In addition, administrators are generally well-connected with California’s state government. These connections could make a significant difference in the community if harnessed correctly.
General faculty and staff at UCI are also a powerful force because each member possesses a deep knowledge base in a particular area. Also, these individuals may be more mobile than administrators. Faculty/staff could also serve as efficient liasons between UCI’s students and administration.
Students are probably the most mobile and least restricted group. Although students may have a more shallow knowledge base than both administrators and faculty/staff, they are the most numerous and, if they act in concert, could be most effective at rallying society as a whole.
Because these groups have different priorities, perspectives, backgrounds, and capabilities, it is best that they work seperately in advancing the role of UCI in the community. Seperately, these groups can purse objectives that parallel their capabilities and, in the end, have a larger more diverse impact on the community.
Dillon Gamboa
October 4, 2010 at 10:59 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Administration and students alike are essential when trying to make a difference in the community. Especially with the location of UCI, we are a college city that takes an active role not only on campus, but with the shops, neighborhoods, and surrounding cities. If administration and students don’t work towards a common goal together, they will not be able to succeed in anything.
Administration brings on the network and the backing of the school, a name that is needed to head anything. Students brings on the masses to get the word out there and work together. Once an entire school such as UCI is united for a common cause such as increasing our civic duty in the community other schools may follow-in-suit.
David Moghissi
October 5, 2010 at 12:37 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Nice post, Dillon. You raise an interesting point in your second paragraph. It would be interesting to see how UCI’s administration and students could continuously coordinate their efforts together. Its possible that for this approach to be successful, we would need to introduce a third-party to help bridge the gap between the administration and students. This could help keep everyone on the same page.
Nimrah Salim
October 4, 2010 at 11:43 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I agree with Nirav. Although GPAs and standerized test scores are becoming increaingly important in education, out side of classroom experience is become just, if not more important. 20 years ago a good GPA was enough to get you into college and into Grad School. Now a good GPA is just one of the many things that are looked at alongside experiences such as volunteering, internships, etc.
Students are provided with numerous oppertunities to get involved in campus life, and off campus as well. Looking specifically at UCI, the career center is constantly encouraging students to come in and inquire about ways to get involved as well as the career/internships/job fairs they hold during each quarter. While it is the universities responsibility to provide opportunities and encourage students to take advantage of what is being provided for them is is impossible for them to force students to do something if the student is not willing to go out and look for the oppertunites around them. The university can only do so much for the student. It can provide the application, but it cannot fill it out for him/her.
George Goodman
October 4, 2010 at 11:56 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
2) What role do you think organizations like the Carnegie foundation should have in setting goals for universities across the country?
I think that organizations like the Carnegie foundation should provide examples of different roles that universities and their students can play in their community but should not be able to set goals. They should be there as support but the setting goals should be determined by the university on a case by case basis. Every university has different aspirations and goals they would like to accomplish, so forcing them to focus on civic engagement would not be fair to our higher education institutions. Hopefully the university realizes the benefits that come out of being involved in the surrounding community, especially with all the resources out there like the Carnegie foundation, but private and public universities have different priorities as do two year and four year institutions. It might be way more beneficial for a four year university to commit resources to increasing engagement in the surrounding community than a two year college that has to spend their resources on providing enough classes for the students. Another example is a religious four year college that might want to spread the word of faith more than sponsor civic responsibility (Ex: Brigham Young University and spreading the Mormon faith). I think universities who set civic engagement goals are rewarded with a good public image and a better community to interact with, but it’s definitely not the job of higher education institutions to fix the poverty in this country or the lack of civic engagement, that is a decision that can only be made from the bottom of one’s heart.
Omeid Heidari
October 5, 2010 at 2:57 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Erlich make an excellent point that when he says we cannot afford to continue educating the younger generation without teaching them how to help the community with that knowledge. I feel that the mentality with our generation resides in the belief that we should go to school in order to get jobs that make tons of money. The purpose of higher education should not be a means for more wealth. After a community invests in our well being and education (especially since UCI is a public school) we should at least be taught during our time in school how to put that education to use for the betterment of the community. Campus Compact aims to show students the meaning of citizenship, one I feel loses more meaning with each generation. As citizens of this country, we should be concerned with the well being of other citizens, not only our own. It is true when we are only as strong as our weakest citizen. Therefore let us embrace our citizenship, cast aside passive work, and take action to improve our community with the power of our education
Omeid Heidari
October 5, 2010 at 3:03 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
At UCI, I feel that faculty, staff, and students do work together in advancing the UCI community. Students serve on board alongside faculty members in order to improve the well being of the current and future student body. This not only serves to improve the community, but also as a learning experience for the students. They take an active role in improving the school community with the guidance of experienced faculty and staff teaching them the necessary tool to implement such change. From the plethora of research conducted on campus to the community outreach projects, the students receive first hand experience of how to solve the problems faced by a community.
Justyne Catacutan
October 5, 2010 at 3:11 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
In response to question 2, I believe that centers like the Carnegie Foundation do have a great potential to transform education. Since this is my first time hearing about the Carnegie Foundation, I wonder if it has any active part in the UC system or is it just state schools. I do not think that the Carnegie Foundation does have any power in education because there are different kind of school systems. It would be interested to see if all schools were based on the practice and beliefs of the Carnegie Foundation. If only one central base decided on what schools should learn, I feel that school ranks would not exist, exempting the history of the school. I do believe that the Carnegie Foundation should have an influence in all schools because it follows the strategy of engaging the outside community for people to begin their access to their future career. Education would enhance because it would not just about literal learning.
Brenda Ramirez
October 5, 2010 at 12:23 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Justyne,
I completely agree with you. While I do applaud the Carnegie family for helping students and for creating the public library, I don’t think that they should have complete say in what schools do. Andrew Carnegie created his fortune through the steel industry and with his great wealth he could influence a school to learn in a certain direction. However, because Andrew Carnegie created libraries I believe it was his intention that education be available to people to learn without pressure to learn about one particular issue or to begin thinking in a certain way. Foundations that give a large amount of money to schools should be appreciated, but should not expect to have a say in school guidelines or learning objectives.
-Brenda
Andre Navarro
October 5, 2010 at 9:03 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I think a lot of work should be done together; because, I think those administrators, faculty, staff and students all have good areas of expertise. Each group knows what can and cannot be done, or what needs to be done in order for an improvement. I think students who live in a certain community will better understand what that community needs, and can be that community’s voice. The faculty and staff tend to have more experience and education which is very useful for the students to understand how they (the students who represent UCI) may be able to help out. The administrators maybe very helpful in gaining funds or finding other legal ways to better help the students help the community. Therefore working together to advance the role of UCI in the community seems like a good idea.
It would seem like it would be harder to advance the role of UCI in the community if the groups did not work together. If one group wanted to help the community in some way, they would have to do a lot of work (fund raising, figuring out legal issues, getting participation, etc.) However these are just my thoughts.
krystin uyema
October 5, 2010 at 11:39 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
I think that administrators, faculty, staff, and students should all work together in advancing the role of UCI in the community because each group has different perspectives and skills that they can all contribute. The UCI community is always looking and researching different possibilities that can improve our environment through technological advancements. For example, the faculty in the department of aerospace does research on power, propulsion, and environment on concept airplanes. There are student assistants that help the faculty with this research and the staff and administrators have to authorize that there is enough funding for this research. Even though each group has a different role at UCI they are all connected through a common cause to enhance the future of UCI.
Symone Magsombol
October 5, 2010 at 12:10 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
After reading the Presidents’ Declaration on the Civic Responsibility of High Education and associating with what we have learned so far in the class, I definitely agree with Thomas Erlich’s following statement: “we cannot afford to educate a generation of students who only have knowledge with no understanding of how to use that knowledge to help the community.” I think there should be more opportunities and courses taught in higher education that focuses on academics outside of the classroom. In order for younger generations to be more prepared later in life, civic and community engagement is essential to education in order for individuals to experience and become exposed to a more well-rounded education and knowledge. The knowledge we learn in school should not only be applied in the classroom, but in more realistic and everyday life. The emphasis of becoming involved in the community should be advocated early in school as well. Of course, implementing such a program will call for adjustment s and changes in traditional education seen nowadays, however the outcome of individuals sharing their education and knowledge through civic and community engagement can certainly create a brighter future for education.
Furthermore, I believe that administrators, faculty, staff, and students should definitely work together in order to advance the role of UCI in the community. Of course, each individual group holds their own knowledge and experience for civic and community engagement in some way, but when combined together, this knowledge will emphasize a well-rounded education and great resource for others on their approach for more involvement in the community.
Brenda Ramirez
October 5, 2010 at 12:15 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
3) Do you think administrators, faculty, staff, and students should work together or separately in advancing the role of UCI in the community? What skills and resources do you think each of these groups brings?
It is crucial that administrators, faculty, staff, students, and the affected community members participate and work together. Besides having different perspectives, it also allows all types of people to make a decision that will affect a community instead of having decisions forcefully imposed upon a community. It is also very important that members not affiliated with UCI, but are still members of the community, participate because they can foresee potential problems and consequences of new ideas through prior or current experience. All have an equally important role to play in the planning, execution, and supervising phases.
Each party will bring different skills and resources. The administrators will make it possible to fund our projects, the faculty can bring special knowledge in a field, and students can volunteer their time. It is also important to note that members can participate in more than one of these groups. For instance, a student can work on volunteering as well as helping the administrators with funding.
Diana Garcia
October 5, 2010 at 12:56 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Thomas Erlich claims that we cannot afford to educate students who only have knowledge and do not use their knowledge to help their community. I however believe that the price of not educating them outweighs the cost of teaching these students because in order to understand one must practice. Without having the opportunity to work hands-on and apply what they learn, all the knowledge in the world is useless. My high school math teacher had a quote by Confucius that he lived by “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” I think this is the case for many students, we read books and are told that we have to go into the world and be global citizens but many do not have any idea of what that means. Students need to be presented with opportunities to get involve with the community and inspire other students to set goals so they can too give back to the community and change can truly occur.
Wendy Salazar
October 5, 2010 at 1:02 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I truly believe that in order to make any sort of advancement or progress in UCI and surrounding vicinities, everyone needs to work together. Each of these groups has different things to contribute. Students need people to back them up in their causes and to help get the public’s attention. Somewhat going back to one of the other questions, our generation is encouraged to learn and gain as much knowledge as possible, but not how to use it to benefit our communities. For the most part, that’s learning that takes place outside the classroom and with experience. Students need someone to guide them and lead the way. Students might have the time, energy, and creativity, but they can definitely utilize administrators, faculty, and staff’s support, credibility, previous experience and last but most importantly their social networks.