A Long Forgotten Scholarship Essay for a Long Forgotten Blog

Recently I have started to go through old files from the old desktop beast sporting a Pentium 4 processor. I found this gem from when I applied for scholarships at Brigham Young University.

If you get bored of pre-college writing below and would like to step back into my current frame of mind, skip to “My how 8 years make a difference.”

2/11/2006

Concerned Faculty and Students:

           

            In making budget cuts, one must first consider the mission statement of Brigham Young University and decide which departments embody these objectives and which of them fall short.  The two aspects of the mission statement that most distinguish the eleven colleges are the goals that everyone receive a broad and balanced education and that the education benefit mankind.  I know that cuts from the program will greatly affect faculty and students at BYU.  As such, I will carefully interpret the mission of BYU to make the appropriate cuts from the program.

            The first goal, which exposes a few colleges as inadequate, is to receive a broad and balanced education.  Some departments are more focused on providing career paths for students than they are concerned about providing a complete education.  The four colleges which demonstrate this problem are the Fulton College of Engineering and Technology, the College of Health and Human Performance, the Marriott School of Management, and the College of Nursing.  The Fulton College, with its focus on careers in various types of engineering, does not provide a broad and balanced education.  It is designed to guarantee a career with a bachelor’s degree, but career orientation is not the mission of BYU.  The College of Health and Human Performance is focused on jobs in the area of exercise science and recreation management which do not characterize a broad education.  This college contains departments such as Dance, Exercise Sciences, and Health Science. The substance of the college raises a question about whether it provides athletes with an escape from a good education while they participate in Varsity sports.  The Marriott School of Management falls short because it provides essentially one career path—one involved in business dealings.  Whether one is a student in the department of Accounting or that of Public Management, the focus of the school is on a certain career after college graduation.  A career in business provides an excellent way to earn money and be a provider, but BYU’s goal is to provide an education that can have application in all aspects of one’s life.  The College of Nursing clearly does not meet the goal of providing a well-rounded education because it is focused on that one career path of becoming a nurse.  Though careers are very important to one’s life, the object of an education is to make students well-rounded members of society

            The education at BYU should also be designed so that it will benefit mankind.  Some colleges that don’t adequately meet this requirement are the department of Fine Arts and Communications and the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.  The department of Fine Arts produces individuals who contribute to society through their artistic talents, but entertainment is essentially the sole purpose. There are also many conservatories and music schools that can take in the small amount of music major students that BYU accommodates.  The number of majors that are allowed in this area is also low, so a minimal number of students will be displaced.  The College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences provides for a study of the accomplishments of others in the area of physics. While these accomplishments are important, modern physics and advanced mathematics are not very useful in today’s society.  While I love physics and math, unless they are learned for the purpose of teaching, they do not benefit mankind.  Though the two departments mentioned above are valued parts of the school, they do not adequately meet the goal of benefiting mankind.  One that definitely meets this criterion is the College of Nursing.  There is a shortage of nurses in the world at the moment; consequently, removing this college from the program would not be an action BYU would take.   

            The three colleges that least meet the expectation of providing a broad and balanced education and least contribute to society are the Colleges of Health and Human Performance, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and Fine Arts and Communications.  As discussed above, these colleges fall short of at least one of the two goals set forth in the mission statement of BYU.  The major flaw in these colleges is their purpose; they either do not have a clear purpose in today’s society or it leads them to become career oriented.  The decision to cut institutions of learning is regrettable, but under the circumstances, these colleges must be removed.

Sincerely,

Grant Harper

My how 8 years make a difference.

If you got through all of that, well done. I caught myself getting bored to death about half way through the first paragraph. The only thing that kept me going was my analysis of what was going through my head back then. Here’s a summary if you don’t feel like reading the above wretchedly boring paragraphs:

BYU is cutting programs because of a lack of funds. I have to identify the programs that deserve to be cut. To do this, I interpret the mission of BYU as requiring programs to be (1) broad and balanced and (2) service-oriented.

I then put the following colleges on the chopping block:

1.     Engineering and Technology

2.     Physical and Mathematical Sciences

3.     Nursing

4.     Marriott School of Management

5.     Health and Human Performance

6.     Fine Arts and Communications

After proposing the obliteration of such fine institutions, I offer this awkward, poorly-constructed gem: The major flaw in these colleges is their purpose; they either do not have a clear purpose in today’s society or it leads them to become career oriented.

No clear purpose, yet they are career oriented. Guess what? I didn’t get the scholarship.

Eight years later, I completely disagree with my assessment (and my abysmal writing). Should a broad, balanced education be desirable? Yes. Should studies in some way seek to benefit all of mankind? Yes. To achieve those goals, would I cut those particular programs? No. Never.

After receiving a degree from one of those ill-fated colleges that I placed on the chopping block and having the opportunity to start a career right out of college, I wholly endorse a degree in engineering. Before I go on a tirade about how great engineering is, I will just sum it up in one sentence. Engineering degrees mold their candidates into great problem solvers. The world needs more of them. I recently attended an office event where Dean Kamen was the keynote speaker. If you don’t know who he is, just google him (or bing, if you’re feeling rebellious). That’s what engineering can do.

And what would engineers do without scientists? No, I will not cut your funding, oh precious College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. And not only because you have a cool planetarium that is fun to fall asleep in while discussing Cassiopeia. While funding basic scientific research seems crazy, governments continue to do it because it pays—eventually.

I’m not going to go further into identifying why all of these paths of study are valid. My main point is that being career-oriented does not mean that the deep thinking associated with a degree in higher education must be sacrificed; however, there are considerations that need to be made. Some degree paths need to be supplemented. In many cases, the burden falls upon the student who is not always willing to do more than is required of them.

So, if you’re still in school, attend those extra lectures given every day in fields with which you are unfamiliar. Take a class that is interesting but isn’t required. Minor in a field that leverages a different skill set. And if you’re no longer in school, develop your weaknesses instead of always playing to your strengths. And thanks to youtube, there are always interesting lectures to watch that can inspire you to see problems and challenges differently.

Interdisciplinary cooperation has led to many discoveries. New approaches to problems are how solutions are identified. When problems seem impossible, it is generally not the problem that has no solution, but the approach to the problem that can offer no answer.

So, what is the solution to the budget cuts? Because I have no guts, I will opt for sequestration. Across the board cuts to everything.

Eruditio

Listening to NPR on my way to work, I've been hearing a lot lately about economic indicators that seem to indicate an impoverishment of the “middle” class and a widening of the wealth gap. I recall one interviewee saying something like “there is no law that guarantees the presence of a middle class.” And when you look at human history, this is obviously true. Where did the middle class come from? From my novice historian memory, I seem to remember that the bourgeoisie gained more power than the nobility by virtue of market economies and the industrial revolution. This eventually led to the rise of this middle class of artisans, shopkeepers, blacksmiths, etc. that rose to where the American middle class is currently. Overly simplistic, but there you have it.

With the technological revolution, are we in for another shake up of the market-dictated caste system? Are today's political systems ready for such upheaval? I have no idea.

Class upheaval aside, another economic issue is “creative destruction.” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the destructive force that is unleashed by a major discovery. The classic example is the advent of the computer and its effect on the typewriter industry. Does anyone use a typewriter? Does anyone think we should go back to using typewriters(hipsters aren't allowed to answer this question)? What about the poor typewriter technician that is out of a job? Tough luck. And there you have it: the human cost of creative destruction—the source of all the discourse about saving "American jobs."

What ever are we to do about these horrible realities of the modern world? Ladies and gentlemen, I present my educational utopia—a place where citizens are too educated to be grossly affected by market upheavals (i.e. too big to fail)—a paradise called Eruditio. (I presented these ideas as a group project for my final class at BYU—so if any of my classmates read this and want to take some credit, feel free)

What makes Eruditio different?

• Teachers are paid a lot of money (still based on the level at which they teach). This provides an economic incentive for people to be excellent teachers
• All businesses are required to have education plans much like today’s healthcare and retirement plans – this includes at least 3 months out of every year devoted to study
• Application projects are required during the 9 months of work following the study and must:
• Apply to current employment
• Incorporate recent studies in an innovative way
• e.g. a dentist who studied interior decorating changes the décor of his office to make it more pleasing to customers
• Education schedule is staggered with other co-workers (just like vacation is currently)

Benefits of the Education Plan

• The crippling human cost of creative destruction is eliminated
• Unemployment remains at the natural rate
• Increases in productivity make the education-focused period of a worker’s year possible
• Various fields of study have a chance to collaborate at unforeseen levels
• New and different approaches to problems lead to increased innovation

Oh, and while we’re at it, we’re raising the minimum retirement age to 70, because let’s face it, supporting people for 30+ years is just crazy.

Respectfully submitted, Grant Harper. Come join me in my paradise of education. Or feel free to poke holes in my crazy pipe dream.

Indeed I did

Hello World!

No, I'm not writing a computer program. I am toying with the idea of putting my ideas out there on cyberspace. Daring? Reckless? Perhaps. Potentially alienating? I hope not.

I like ideas. Whether they are crazy, boring, passed down from generation to generation, or avant-garde, they are my brain food. Is there a better way to explore ideas than by writing them down? And so I will write.  (maybe, if I make time for it).

So, if you choose to read my thoughts on just about any topic, please be merciful. I try not to judge others harshly, and I hope that you will act the same in regards to me. Let the games begin.