Is Higher Education Enhancing Our Society?

Is higher education enhancing our society? The answer to this question is complex. I don’t know if I am the one to answer the question. I barely graduated high school by getting an adult diploma from independent studies after my mother bribed me with a car. In the last few years, I have begun taking college courses in-class and through correspondence with government funded grants. I can speak on this matter as someone who didn’t really see the importance of higher education until later in life. The only people in my immediate family that have a degree from college are my mother and sister. My mother went to community college when college was less expensive. My sister was in the Air Force, so the VA took care of her college expenses. I believe that colleges and universities have, in a way, abandoned their primary responsibility to give our younger and older adults the necessary skills they need to enhance their lives. They should be able to flourish in whatever field of study they wish to build a career in. They should be able to explore whatever field that piques their interest and holds them until they realize what is right for them. They should be able to take courses that help them find out what they are good at in order to identify new talents and gifts they can master. Instead, it appears colleges and universities have chosen their own private self-interest over the people.

College in the United States has become too expensive. It is elitist more than anything. Who wants to spend $40,000 on an education that might not yield its return on investment? We might not be able to blame all of this on colleges and universities, but the debt people get into to go to them makes them just another American institution that has made its students economic slaves. People lose homes over medical bills, credit card bills, etc. Everything in this country that would truly enhance and strengthen the fabric of our society is not widely accessible to the masses. If the richest country in the world wanted to have healthier citizens, they would do as most developed countries do and give free universal healthcare. Likewise, if America wanted its citizens to be intelligent and well educated, college would not be so expensive.

The over emphasis on monetization is on trend with the way America operates. Most people going to college are better off going for fields like engineering or some type of technology-associated major. In the “information age,” tech guys run the world. So much for the drama kid that shows an interest in film. What about the band geek who loves the flute? People living out their dreams to be actors, journalists, dancers, biologists wanting to go to college better have deep pockets. Who can afford to be put in tens of thousands of dollars of debt in order to live out their dreams? The “pursuit of happiness” for the average American is a yellow brick road paved with fake gold and littered with false promises that leave people in debt and the wizard is Uncle Sam.

If the mission of higher education was to enhance society, it has lost its way. Additionally, it might be that we as a people have lost our way as well. By the time a young adult is done with high school they are fed up with sitting in a classroom learning useless knowledge that does not benefit them in the real world. They are like, “Give me something I can use and then I will listen to you.” Just recently, in the last few years, I had a welding inspector share with me that when he was in high school he took welding. I was happy for him but kind of upset about my own experience going to high school. Why couldn’t I learn welding, or a young woman learn a pink-collar job, like nursing in high school? (I’m not being sexist; most women I know tend to have pink-collar jobs or are office coordinators and work as administrative assistants). These vocations and hands-on learning skills are just enough to make going to school worthwhile exploring other fields of education.

So, why do I say that we as a people might have lost our way? Is it because we don’t care for education? At the same time, the education system has let us down. These two things can be true at the same time. Education has become too theoretical and cerebral. Education needs to be practical. If education were practical, people would see its importance in their lives. There would be just as many calls for universal access to education as there are for universal access to healthcare.

In closing, I am under the presumption colleges and universities have abandoned their primary responsibility, which is to enhance our society’s thinking and talents. However, we have also abandoned colleges and universities. Of course, they emphasize career preparation over personal growth and all we care about in this country is money, so much so that private interest has to take precedent.