Campus with a View

The best view today was most likely had by the construction workers on top of that frame work that will eventually become "The Student Success Building." They could see for miles and at the end of the day went home with the feeling of accomplishment.

The other photos were clicked as I walked from the classroom back to my office. The day just felt big and the sky soft and the sunlight comfortable. All around delightful. Tomorrow the campus is closed in observance of Veteran's Day, which was really yesterday.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the comments about education many of you have left the past few days. I believe we are all involved in education in some way or another--through our kids, our grandkids, our own experience, our tax dollars. So I think we all care. "Education" is a great topic to study with my basic writing students. Most of them have never really thought about it (as strange as that seems). Education is just something that is "done" to them.

So here on the kitchen table this evening is The Chronicle of Higher Education November 13 issue. Inside in the Review section one article is titled "Are Too Many Students Going to College?" It begins "With student debt rising and more of those enrolled failing to graduate in four years, there is a growing sentiment that college may not be the best option for all students. At the same time, President Obama has called on every American to receive at least one year of higher education or vocational training. Behind the rhetoric lies disagreement over a series of issues: which students are most likely to succeed in college; what kind of college they should attend; whether the individual or society benefits more from postsecondary education; and whether college is worth the high cost and likely long-term debt. The Chronicle Review asked higher-education experts to weight in."

The subtitles inside the article are:
--Who should and shouldn't go to college?
--How much does increasing college-going rates matter to our economy and society?
--Economsts have cited the economic benefits that individual students derive from college. Does that still apply?
--Who should pay for students to attend college?
--Does the United States view and handle this issue differently than other countries? Should it?
--At what point does the cost of going to college outweight the benefits?
--Do we have a moral obligation as a society to work to send as many students as we can to college?

For me, that's food for thought! I look forward to reading each aspect.

For now, Mr. Fun has the fire crackling and he's agreed to read me some Scott Russell Sanders. Oh boy!

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol