The Final Frontier......it ain't space

In the moments before Star Trek, Next Generation episodes begin, we hear Capt. Jean-Luc Picard intoning these words, "[sic] to seek out new life, new civilizations. to boldly go where no man has gone before". Space, they say, is the final frontier. I would beg to disagree.

A recent news report on ABC (link to full report below), reviewed the findings of a research endeavor that determined that "45 percent of students show no significant improvement in the key measures of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years." Yikes! What's the point then of spending all that money? The most expensive school in the nation is about $60k per year. So if we believe this research, $120k of a $240k education bill will have been invested for um, "no significant improvement in [sic] critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing"? Dang. You might be better off playing the ponies, it's a surer return on investment.

The article places the blame for the lack of development of these critical skills on both student and faculty, and while I would certainly say that faculty share in the responsibility, the reality is that the development of the mind is the mind owner's responsibility, no one else's. A school has a responsibility to teach, but I, as the mind owner, have the responsibility to be engaged in the work, read, contemplate and participate in what's happening. I also have a responsibility to challenge myself by not filling my academic playlist with "underwater basket weaving" and "clapping for credit" which the research suggests, many young people do.

So, the choice is ours. Space isn't the final frontier, the mind is. The mind is the first and the last frontier for each of us. For some of us, it's the only frontier that matters. If as a nation America really doesn't want every other first world nation to whiz by; if as a nation America would prefer not to see China eat us for lunch (and still be hungry because at this rate, we won't be particularly filling), we all need to engage in the life of the mind. The easy road is a low road that leads to an inglorious destination.

Student Tracking Finds Limited Learning in College - ABC News