Parting reflections on SVSU by the soon-to-graduate

April 28, 2008 —

I found the temptation of the editor's send-off - the most cliched of all traditions in college journalism - too much for my weak mind to resist. It's really an inexcusable abuse of power.

But I've been here for six years as an undergrad, and I've worked with administrators, faculty, support staff, and students extensively in a variety of roles. I've had plenty of opportunities to observe and analyze the machinery behind the institution, and I've come to a couple of realizations.

The first: This place has a lot going for it. Small class sizes, as advertised relentlessly by SVSU's marketing arm, really are essential to a quality education. Small classes engender discussion and debate and help make college the emotionally and intellectually challenging experience it should be.

And I've never discovered if this is official University policy, but good teaching is at least ostensibly valued over research, which is an enormous boon to the student's learning experience. Other colleges and universities demand faculty to contribute to their field. To use the vomitous buzz-phrase: Faculty are expected to "advance knowledge." That's a load of bullshit. Good researchers aren't necessarily good educators, although many of them are. When universities require publication in order to advance, ruthless careerism is the result. Educating students becomes secondary.

So far, SVSU hasn't fallen prey to that type of thinking. It's placed the value of its educational curriculum above the prestige that superstar research brings. All of its professors are scholars, to be sure, but the focus is clearly on educating the student.

The second: There are some trends that if unchecked could cripple the effectiveness of the University.

The most obvious among them is the steadily rising cost of tuition. SVSU has long prided itself as the least expensive public university in the state, and given the quality of education here, that's something to be very, very proud of. Affordable education for all, regardless of class, is the noblest ideal an educational institution can hold. But as state funding continues to dwindle, SVSU's leaders must make tough decisions. I'll advise them as such: There are many, many things universities don't need but often get anyway. Keep classroom education the focus of your expenditures and you'll automatically limit the number of tough decisions you have to make. And of course, colleges aren't supposed to be luxury resorts. How many plasma televisions and $1,200 designer chairs do we need?