Back in the 'dark ages,' when I was an undergraduate student, it was common
knowledge that engineering was a career path of choice for working class
white males who were the first in their families to attend college. the
reason seemed to be that the subject seemed immensely practical (concrete)
and the payoff, in terms of salary and status, was rapid. A BS in any
engineering is still a ticket to instant middle class.
It would not surprise me to discover that 'pure' liberal arts majors are
predominantly the second and third generation in their family to attend
college, with the family income and professional abstraction to match.
Whether family experience thinking in abstractions, without undue
considerations of income and survival, promotes a higher intelligence or not,
I'd rather not discuss.
Whether the performance of professors (to get back to the original thread)
should be measured on how much they improve their students' capabilities, or
on a measure of accomplishment (which can be attributed in part to the
students' preparation before arrival) would be a far more interesting
debate. However, I refuse to get dragged into it, unless we can discuss how
anyone plans to _measure_ either the professors' performance or student
improvement.
Cheers,
Jay
"Fearon, David (Management)" wrote:
> Again, Ralph, if they do a much better job of helping
> their students learn to communicate, then why don't we?
> What are our barriers to that? Are they real and necessary
> to impart our subject, or encrusted bad habits and outmoded ways?
>
> I'll offer a horrendous speculation. Liberal arts colleges
> tend to be highly selective. I'll never forget the time
> a LA professor said in a meeting of college educators that
> his school got the "robust ducks", that all they had
> to do was "baste them" in four years and they were on
> to successful careers. Does this mean we in business schools
> are seeing the less advantaged? That was his point.
>
> David
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ralph W. Parrish, Ph.D. [mailto:
rparrish@ucok.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 12:02 PM
> To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Subject: Re: [MG-ED-DV] Germany Set to Link Professors' Pay to
> Performance
>
> I cannot find the reference right now but several years ago researchers
> followed the careers of a group of AT&T employees for a period of (as I
> recall) 25 years. The finding that stands out in my mind was that liberal
> arts majors did much better as far as promotions to, and performance in,
> management than did business majors. Apparently, at least some of the
> liberal arts do a much better job of helping their students learn to
> communicate.
>
> Ralph W. Parrish
> University of Central Oklahoma
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Management Education and Development Discussion
> [mailto:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU]On Behalf Of Fearon, David
> (Management)
> Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 7:24 AM
> To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Subject: Re: Germany Set to Link Professors' Pay to Performance
>
> As management educators, why, then, do we not pull out all the
> stops and make communicating the thread and passion of every
> offering. Why do the Humanities have this grand opportunity?
>
> David
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jack Ring [mailto:
jring@amug.org]
> Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 6:03 AM
> To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Subject: Re: [MG-ED-DV] Germany Set to Link Professors' Pay to
> Performance
>
> The irony is that the Professors who are now complaining have evidently
> failed previously to figure out what "performance" means.
>
> The German lawmakers simply pointed out that tenure isn't the answer ---
> nor even a factor.
>
> Regarding the potential demise of the humanities, note that the majority
> of practicing managers world-wide continue to point out that the primary
> capability of a good employee is the ability to communicate. The
> ability to program a computer is rarely mentioned.
--
Jay Warner
Principal Scientist
Warner Consulting, Inc.
4444 North Green Bay Road
Racine, WI 53404-1216
USA
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