Not all undergraduates should be turned into knowledge workers

I'd like to relate the opinions by Andrew Gant and Kelly Reed in the March 2 issue of the Index. Mr. Gant decried the opposition to political opinions in the classroom. Ms. Reed decried the lack of opportunities for non-business majors at the career fair.

Thank you both for pointing out the unfortunate but prevalent mindset that higher education should turn students into knowledge workers. The knowledge worker is a noble calling, but it is a misuse of human resource to cast every student in its mold. This mindset is behind the growth of for-profit education (University of Phoenix), and the political pressure on public institutions to conform to this "efficient" model.

It biases recruiters to look for a business major rather than a candidate who uses critically their multifaceted talents. It chases political discussion out of the classroom because it poses dissent and does not impact an employer's bottom line.

Part of your undergraduate study provides you with skills for gainful employment. Only part. The rest should empower you to live your citizenship. Citizens should live with integrity, true to their purpose, engaged in what ignites a passion within them.

When you look at your future, don't ask whether the world needs another lawyer or businessperson. Ask what makes you truly alive, because the world needs people who are truly alive. Use these four years to find it, and never lose sight of it.

That said, your calling may mean you look beyond a Career Fair, the Fortune 500, or even the edges of the official work force. Teach English in Russia. Start a ministry and live off donations. It is equally noble to work full time to support a family as to wait tables part time to support yourself but devote the rest of energies to a cause close to your heart. Most importantly, do what allows you to be self-sufficient while living with the integrity of being true to what you wish to accomplish. Be flexible in the means, steadfast in the goal.

Dr. Becker, I may disagree with your opinion, but I defend vigorously your right to say it, your responsibility to say it honestly and to levy the full power of your mental faculties upon it. And I have no high esteem for Horowitz's book. It is more dangerous to have a nation of yes-men and yes-women following the coattails of public opinion and boardroom convention. What we need is a vigorous, well-reasoned, and passionate dissent for democracy to function. Jeremy Loscheider Alumnus