NEWS | July 2007 - all articles
This page includes all articles in the July issue of NEWS. Return to summary or go to the NEWS archive.
Chinese students experience liberal arts Minnesota-style
Task force offers new vision for Minnesota high schools
New studies provide insights about student loan debt and first-generation students
Briefs
Chinese students experience liberal arts Minnesota-style
The first exchange between the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) and United International College (UIC) in Zhuhai, China is underway this month with a visit by 25 UIC students. Along with attending college seminars, students have already experienced a mock-Thanksgiving Dinner, stayed with host families, dined on s’mores, visited a grocery store and attended a Fourth of July celebration. They are visiting six MPCC institutions during their month-long stay.
The MPCC and UIC share an interest in liberal arts, language and culture and this exchange will benefit all our students and faculty, said Tom Homan, director of international education at the College of St. Scholastica. Homan is chairing the exchange effort among the participating Minnesota colleges this year. “This experience is a superb opportunity for those in small private colleges who don’t normally have this kind of exposure,” he said.
UIC students Hector Wu and Susanna Lu
While visiting Augsburg College, the third stop on their tour, two UIC students shared their reflections so far. Susanna Lu — an international journalism major who just completed her first year — loved the Spam Museum the group visited in Austin, Minn. “I liked seeing the promotions and advertising,” she said. Hector Wu — an applied economics major who will start his junior year, was captivated by Jackson Pollock’s paintings at the Walker Art Center and the extraordinary architecture of Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College. “We’ve seen fine arts and music at every campus,” he exclaimed.
Both students were very impressed with the family visits that have been arranged for them at each campus. While visiting Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Lu stayed with art professor William Bukowski and his family. “He does amazing work,” she said. She was also moved by her first experience attending church. Most of the students had never been in a church building before, said Kathy Bruss, who coordinated activities at Bethany. “I told them that while for us church is a spiritual activity, we are taking them as a cultural activity.”
UIC students at Gustavus Adolphus College
Wu admitted that he had never felt at home when he stayed with a family in England as a child, but his host families here “really welcomed us.” At the end of their Bethany visit, the UIC students were asked what surprised them at their host family homes. Responses ranged from “you hide your garbage in a cupboard” to “there was a nice and clean cat who slept in my bed” to “the boy’s room was a mess.” As part of their family visits, several students have now met a family with an adopted Chinese child. “It is surprising what they know about China. Minnesotans are interested in Chinese culture,” Lu said.
UIC is the first fully sanctioned liberal arts college to be created in China since the early 20th century and the agreement with MPCC colleges is the first it has reached with American colleges. UIC opened in fall 2005 and has 1,200 students and 11 majors. Its enrollment target is 4,000-4,500 with half the students coming from abroad. This visit is the beginning of exchanges that will soon include faculty and staff as well as students from both countries.
Bill May, the director of the Office of International Development at UIC who is accompanying the students, believes that this student exchange is helping the partnership take root. “Many of these students have never traveled outside of China before and this is an exhilarating experience for them,” he said. “It’s unique for them to be able to go into American homes and universities and it’s a good test of their English.” May said that the students’ English has held up very well and notes that they have been struck by Minnesota's friendliness and even the politeness of drivers (no honking!).
Liberal arts at UIC are defined as “whole person education,” according to Lu. “It’s not just about your abilities, but also about your knowledge of things,” she said. The UIC students are experiencing how this translates at Minnesota liberal arts colleges. “Students here are engaged in sports, arts and other activities besides academics,” noted Wu, who was particularly struck by Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow’s welcome talk, “Make a Living, Make a Life.” Pribbenow emphasized the importance of education for both one’s professional and personal life. Wu also marveled while visiting Gustavus that all four tour guides were double majors — "some were in very different fields like music and management or history and political science,” he said.
In addition to experiencing Minnesota culture, students are attending classes. Professors on each campus are teaching courses on topics such as business and the consumer, persuasion, and leadership. Students will earn academic credit from UIC by writing about the role of Minnesota’s private liberal arts colleges in preparing the population for life in a free society.
From this multitude of experiences, a few things have stood out for Wu and Lu. “The food is extra large and high calorie,” said Wu. Lu noted that there are 100 kinds of cereal at our grocery stores. “So many choices and the stores are open 24 hours!” she said.
This exchange experience has had a significant impact on both Wu and Lu. Wu admits that his parents strongly encouraged him to come on this trip. “I thought it would be hard, a disaster,” he said, “but it’s not that scary.” Both students now say that they would like to go to graduate school in the U.S., “maybe in Minnesota,” Wu added.
“UIC is an imaginative and experimental effort in China,” said Homan. “Promoting this connection with China and UIC will help students and faculty embrace the global society.”
Task force offers new vision for Minnesota high schools
Imagine high schools where all students take classes that are challenging but relevant to their futures, where they have a relationship with at least one adult mentor and take courses that prepare them for enrolling in and completing some kind of post-high school education. This is the vision laid out by the Future of High Schools Task Force in their June 2007 report, The Bridge to Higher Learning.
Convened by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals and facilitated by the University of Minnesota’s Consortium for Postsecondary Academic Success, the task force is in part a response to the statements by Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Gov. Tim Pawlenty that “high schools are obsolete.” The group pointed to many successes in our high schools, but acknowledged some serious problems. For example, according to the Minnesota Department of Education, 80 percent of white students graduate from high school in four years, compared with 40 percent of American Indian students, 68 percent of Asian students, 38 percent of black students and 30 percent of Hispanic students.
Focusing not just on enrollment in a technical school or a two- or four-year college or university, but completion makes this an ambitious proposal. It assumes that all students will need to have skills and credentials that will both prepare them for the global economy and ensure that they can earn a living wage. The report acknowledges that far-reaching changes will be needed — involving not just schools but families, communities and partners.
Recognizing the importance of educated workers to our economy, we asked some local business leaders for their reactions to the report.
“The goal to earn a credential or degree from a postsecondary institution is a good one if it provides workers who can think critically, who are collaborative across cultures, who are creative, and who have the general knowledge needed for tomorrow’s jobs,” said Alex Cirillo, vice president for the 3M Foundation. “Although the focus of the study was the changes needed in secondary education, these three skills and this knowledge must be taught from the earliest grades. It is the role of secondary education to reinforce and to expand these capabilities.” Cirillo emphasized that the relationship between schools, families and communities is critical since this is where expectations are established and where schools are empowered to change.
“Creating a sustainable, educated work force is critical to the future success of businesses in Minnesota,” said Janet Estep, executive vice president of U.S. Bank. “The task force has created a vision with a very high goal — but if achieved, it could create phenomenal results and help create ‘out of the box’ thinking about how high schools can effectively adapt into the future.”
Mark Chronister, who recently retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, believes that raising the bar is a “bare minimum necessity” if Minnesota has any hope of being competitive in a global economy. “While it is great that part of the education establishment has now delved into this, the dilemma is urgent and we don't have the luxury of doing this over time. And as for ‘it takes a village,’ it also takes the leadership of educators” he said. “We must also impart to students that they are ultimately accountable for the choices they make. With support and direction in the school environment, we can quit making excuses for the circumstance the students find themselves in and help them realize they have a future that is theirs alone.”
Todd Klingel, president of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, believes the findings and recommendations of the task force coincide well with the Career and College Initiative the Chamber currently has underway in the Minneapolis High School system that helps students plan for life after high school. “It is critical for the students to be actively engaged in the process,” Klingel said. “Students who understand what it will take to be successful in tomorrow’s business community AND appreciate that there is a spot for them in that community, will succeed under the task force’s proposed plan.”
“‘The Bridge to Higher Learning’ sets out a bold vision to revitalize our state’s high schools,” said Kate Rubin, president of the Minnesota High Tech Association. “Higher education is the gateway to being engaged in the global economy and is critical to securing a bright economic future for today's high school students. Minnesota high tech companies are actively supporting legislative reforms, mentoring, volunteering in schools and much more. It is imperative for Minnesota’s future that more students graduate from higher education institutions ready to compete.”
One point on which educators and businesses agree is that high school reform is needed. This report suggests one approach that could benefit our students and our state.
New studies about student loan debt and first-generation students provide insight
The Minnesota Private College Research Foundation keeps a close watch on studies and surveys on higher education issues. Here are findings from two recent studies:
Students’ debt impacts their career choices according to a new report. The National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed student data from a highly selective institution which introduced a “no loans” policy where the loan component of financial aid awards was replaced with grants. Data suggests:
- Each $10,000 in debt reduced the likelihood that an individual will take a job in nonprofits, government or education by approximately 5 to 6 percentage points. Debt specifically impacted students choice of education related jobs (-3.3 percentage points).
- Students with debt were more likely to be economics or engineering majors — both associated with higher paying jobs.
- For each $10,000 in debt, graduates accepted jobs that paid on average $2,000 more per year.
- Debt did not effect whether students pledged donations to their institution. However, students with debt were less likely to follow through on pledges.
Source: Constrained After College: Student Loans and Early Career Occupational Choices
Receiving financial aid identified as important by first-generation students in their selection of private institutions, according to a new survey. The Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s Freshman Survey of first-generation students — those whose parents have never been enrolled in postsecondary education — reports these findings:
- The gap between the proportion of first-generation students at public and private four-year colleges has narrowed (17.5 percent at public colleges as compared to 12.8 percent at private college institutions).
- As compared to first-generation students at public institutions, private first generation students are more likely to have an annual family income of $40,000 or more (57.8 percent vs. 49.4 percent), more likely to have attended a private high school (18.1 percent vs. 7.1 percent) and more likely to have an A+ or A high school grade point average (40.6 percent vs. 36.2 percent).
- First-generation students at private colleges cited financial assistance (56 percent) and college size (49 percent) as key factors in their college choice decision.
Briefs
- 15 of the programs listed in the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership (MMEP) Summer Enrichment Guide are happening on our campuses.
- A summer reading workshop for recent immigrants is one of six projects undertaken this summer by Phillips scholars. Read about their community service projects.