Awhile ago, there was an article about a campaign that is aiming to raise lots and lots of money ($1 billion, to be specific) for UCI on the school homepage.
Wow. I know UCI gets a lot of money and throwing around a million dollars for research is probably like spare change for UCI. But a billion dollars? After reading the article, I am a little more school spirited. UCI is well known for their research in the biological sciences, but who knew we were so proactive in so many areas. UCI is climbing the ranks and I think its largely because of our innovation and leadership.
In the 1960s and 1970s, things must have been very different. With war and social disillusionment, people were focused on the future, but not in the ways we are today. Things are changing fast, and if you aren't one step ahead, you're going to fall and fall hard. Chancellor Drake makes a good point that there are real challenges ahead of us that need to be tackled now. Universities are perfect places to lead the way. We have the resources, the funds, the brains. Carpe Diem.
All of you in our class have got to pat yourselves on the back. We are smarter and more educated than 95% of America. I do not want to sound elitist, but heck, maybe I am. I'm proud to be an educated young person, and so should you. It's sad that higher education is not more accessible. Even public ones are not accessible. How do you prepare for the SATs if you've been put on the Hi-can-I-take-your-order route since you were in the 3rd grade. How do you expect to be ambitious when nobody gave you a reason to be? I am a believer that people all have different intellects, some are born with bigger brains than others. That's just how it is. But potential? That's another thing. Education is the avenue where individual potential can blossom, or sadly, wilt away...
I suppose there is no one to blame, or on the other hand, lots of people to blame. It's easy to point fingers but that does not really get things done. All I know is that things really need to change. We need to make education a priority. My old elementary school now holds class in the auditorium because there was not enough room to accommodate everyone. What's up with that?
The saying goes something like, "the more you know the more you know that you don't know". Isn't that the point? That's what's great about education--it's a continuing process that incites great ideas and innovation. That's why I am so passionate and enthralled with higher education and the places that foster it. These places that encourage thinking and the exchange of knowledge are the future in more ways than one. We must care for, nurture, and safeguard them.
Feel free to let me know what you think; I'd love to read it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I totally agree with you. Education is great! Universities are filled with bright students who have the potential (if motivated correctly) to actually create a better future. Imagine all these great minds collaborating and brainstorming all in one place? How exciting! We need to fund programs that support research, improve our education system, and motivate kids to participate in higher learning. All I'm asking for is an investment in our future. We are the ones who will have to solve the problems of the future, so we should be well-educated.
I agree I believe education is very important. That’s a bit degrading that your old elementary schools are now holding class in auditoriums, but I can understand why since there is a factor of a population boom. The human population is growing exponentially so competition is getting fierce. It’s hard for schools to meet the demand of the population; I see more and more trailer homes for classrooms in my old high school. This is why we need to place greater emphasis on a child’s education and spend more to build adequate classrooms and libraries. I was really afraid if McCain came to power since he said he would put a “spending freeze on everything except the military.” Our education system is already falling behind compared to other countries. That is why a lot of companies are starting to hire foreigners more due to their expertise and cheap labor. We need to start investing more back home not only for our future, but for America’s future.
I think that this shows that education will always be one of our greatest investments. And for good reason. We can always point to technology making our lives easier and replacing human work, but who's going to make those machines? That's right, it'll be people. Investing in the future begins with investing in our younger generations and that will determine how far we go in the future.
I agree with your point that there is no limitations on advancing in knowledge. It's funny how people seem to be so arrogant about what they know, yet there's so much information in this world that there will never be a shortage of things to learn. There are so many people in our past and present generation, who look at education solely for future employment opportunities, but it is such a waste of time, effort, and, most importantly, money to get an education for those sole purposes. Don't get me wrong, education is a significant factor in attaining a career; however, people should take interest in getting informed and being knowledgeable of facts and what is going on with the world rather than thinking about the benefits that education comes with.
I have to admit that I came into college with the mindset of quickly finishing, getting good grades, and having a background of higher education on my resume. It took me two and half years to realize the true value of listening and fully understanding the teachings in lectures and discussions. By fully understanding the information that is being taught makes education so much more interesting and fun. It is vital that people become interested in being educated because this world is quick to advance, expand, and improve, so they need to be able to run at the same pace as the world around them
Post a Comment