The Broncos’ Voice
December 1993
The Idea of the University
! Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk...
by Earl J. Moniz
Through the very selective pro
cess described in the last article,
the university has been staffed, pre
pared, and is now awaiting the ar
rival of the facility. How are the
faculty members selected? What sort
of criteria should be utilized to se
lect them in the first place?
At this point, I am reminded of
a classical painting of Socrates con
ducting class at the head of a short
rise of stairs. In the picture,
Socrates seems to be discussing
something with a small group of his
students in the center of the paint
ing while other, smaller groups of
students seem to be conducting dis
cussions of their own. Could they
have been practicing what we now
term cooperative learning?
Perhaps the Greek ideal of the
xmiversity would have students ac
tively participating in a discussion
revolving around a certain subject.
Once they had enough information
to begin rationalizing and specvdat-
ing on their own, they would break
off into smaller groups to test their
theories against the logic of other
students. As sound logical argu
ments became formulated by these
smaller groups, the arguments would
be brought back and presented to
the moderator of the discussion for
further examination. The modera
tor (in our case, the professor) would
then verfjally analyze the arguments
of the smaller group and give them
additional food for thought and the
group would once again break off
and continue their examination or
begin a reexamination. In this fash
ion, the knowledge, logic, and as-
axunptions of the individuals in the
smaller groups are either confirmed
or refuted by the professor. Through
fTiia process of discussion, examina
tion, further discussion, and fiuther
examination the knowledge of the
students is enhanced by the com
ments and analysis of the professor
and the knowledge of the professor
is also enhanced by the examina
tion of the topic imder discussion
by the fresh viewpoints of the indi
viduals in the smaller groups. This
process could probably be associated
with what we currently call discov
ery learning.
This process brings us to the
issue that has been plaguing the
imiversity since its original estab
lishment all those many years ago:
Is supreme knowledge the end of a
higher education or simply the
means through which a society may
advance itself? The answer to that
question significantly effects the
approach that a imiversity will take
in its presentation of information
and its attitude toward the enlight
enment of its student body.
If, for instance, we admit that
knowledge is the end toward which
an education is sought, then once
all knowledge about a certain sub
ject has been learned, further in
quiry is useless and unnecessary.
In geology, for example, once we
understand the process through
which the earth has been formed
and how the continents move about
on the surface through tectonic
forces, then further examination of
that phenomenon is not necessary.
Professors armed with that knowl
edge can publicly announce that
we imderstand how geology works
in regard to the movement of con
tinents and further inquiry is ter
minated.
If, on the other hand, knowl
edge is considered only a means
through which other goals and
objectives may be reached, an en
tirely different light is shed upon
the educational process. If oiir
objectives of learning about geol
ogy include the saving of lives and
the prediction of natural catastro
phes, then our discoveries and stud
ies may never cease. Science and
the scientific community would
continue to refine its understand
ing and predictions in order to
bring the loss of life to zero. In
addition, once an understanding
has been reached, the scientific
commimity might even take upon
itself the goal of not only predict
ing such catastrophes but also the
prevention of those phenomena.
In relation to ow search for
faculty members, we would want
to employ faculty members who
regard the educational process as
a means of improving and advanc
ing science and the raising of the
standard of living for all. Profes
sors with this mentality would per
ceive the increase of knowledge as
a collective effort by both students
and faculty for the advancement of
all mankind and not simply the at
tainment of a certain level of skill
or achievement in a certain disci
pline.
Faculty members should feel
compelled to ally themselves on the
campus as a unified group of indi
viduals concerned primarily about
raising the standards of living in
their surroimding community and,
secondarily, in the world in general.
They should set an example for their
students and the citizens in the com
munity. If the university is willing
to pay faculty members above-aver
age salaries, the university and the
student body has the legitimate ex
pectation that these faculty mem
bers will conduct themselves in a
fashion commensurate with their
salaries. Additionally, these faculty
members should feel compelled just
as stropgly to bind themselves to
gether with the faculty members of
other imiversities around the world
in an attempt to establish a com
munity of scholars that should be
the epitome of social and racial co
operation, understanding, and har
mony.
Let us recap our deliberations
about faculty members. These in
dividuals should feel that they are
contributing to the continuous
growth of knowledge to their stu
dents as well as their colleagues at
their own imiversity and the imi
versity community worldwide. They
should also feel that they are con
tributing to raising the standard of
living of their students, their im
mediate community, and the entire
community of man as well. They
should encourage students to pro
vide input to the study of any disci
pline in a scholarly fashion with the
notion that “a good idea does not
care who has it.” They should also
hold the notion that higher educa
tion is a collaborative effort and that
no single individual, regardless of
the number of degrees earned by
that individual, can possibly know
everything about anything. These
faculty members must also realize
that they, as members of an inter
national conmiunity of scholars, are
held accountable for their actions
and beliefs and they must attempt
to set for themselves a standard of
living and value system above re
proach.
At this point, we have an ad
ministration that is concerned about
the facilities and the availability of
materials to provide the faculty and
the student body with the best pos
sible opportunities for educational
success and who will involve them
selves in these learning opportuni
ties from time to time; we have a
faculty that imderstands that, col
lectively, the university commimity
is setting the example for the dis
covery of new knowledge, the re
finement of old knowledge, the en
couragement of the students to piu*-
sue greater knowledge and also the
use of the collective knowledge of
all time to solve problems that have
never been encoimtered before; and
we have a well-tended and well-pre
pared campus with superb facilities
awaiting the arrival of students.
How do we attract them? Hold that
thought. . .
If any of our readers have any
opposing views or comments to make
about this colimin, please forward
them to the Broncos' Voice utilizing
the appropriate requirements for
submission. Please consider the
campus newspaper a means through
which to initiate a dialogue and hold
a discussion and not simply a mono
logue or lecture.
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