美国大学寻求改变高等教育形态

 

Wofford College president Nayef Samhat knows the future of his school is at risk. The 1,600-student school based in Spartanburg, South Carolina is similar to many small, private colleges that have closed in recent years.

The closures are closely¹ linked to issues like increasing competition among colleges and universities for a smaller traditional student population. In United States, that group is mainly young people coming right out of high school.

But Samhat told VOA he is not worried. He says his school and many others are working to find new and different ways of providing higher education.

At Wofford, that means meeting the needs of a very specific group of students, Samhat says. He notes that a strength of American higher education is that there are many institutions to choose from. Some students want the experience of a large school, while others want a smaller, more personal environment.

That is exactly what Wofford offers, with about 95 percent of its students living on the school grounds throughout their four-year program.

However, Samhat suggests it is not just life in a closely connected community that makes Wofford different. The school has a strong international study program with help from outside investment². The Institute of International Education reports that Wofford has one of the highest percentages of students spending at least some time at a foreign university during their studies.

"In a rapidly changing local community, we are a pathway to the global for our students," said Samhat.

He says Wofford supports international education to teach students about cultural differences. It also teaches them to look at the world's problems in different ways.

Samhat says the school's international study programs are not just about having fun in a foreign country. Students must seek special permission to join the programs, explaining how the experience connects to their main field of study. For example, an environmental science student might want to learn about how water shortages³ affect farming in Africa. Students are also expected to share their experiences when they return to Wofford in ways that are helpful to other students.

For other colleges and universities, offering a unique education does not necessarily⁴ mean leaving the United States.

Mark Roosevelt is the president of St. John's College, a small private liberal⁵ arts college in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He says it means finding⁶ the one thing your school does better than anyone else. He notes that schools are feeling pressure to demonstrate⁷ how the education they offer directly links to a strong career path.

In many cases, this has led students to believe the best programs are ones that deal with very specific fields of study, or majors. But St. John's has always believed in the opposite, Roosevelt says.

"Life doesn't have majors, and knowledge doesn't have majors. And the problems you face in the workforce⁸ ... and ... in life aren't reflected by majors. So we don't have majors," he said.

The school offers just one degree: Bachelor of Liberal Arts. St. John's students take all the same classes. They all learn some mathematics, some literature and some philosophy, along with other subjects.

Roosevelt argues this teaches students to see how different issues and areas of life are connected. He says it improves their critical thinking, the kind of skills that businesses are looking for in employees today.

At Miami University in the state of Ohio, Nik Money says the college's Western Program helps students who have not chosen a major. The program helps students identify their interests and choose related⁹ classes related to those interests at the public research university. Some past examples include the effects of opening a small business in a poor community and sex discrimination in competitive¹⁰ gaming.

Students walk across the Oxford¹¹, Ohio campus¹² of Miami University.

Students walk across the Oxford, Ohio campus of Miami University.

Money says the program helps them through this process, but students must produce a major project connecting everything they have learned¹³ in the end.

"We're actually asking a lot of the students in ... asking them to take responsibility ... for determining their own educational path," he said.

He adds that this will prepare students for the likely changes in their careers in the future.

Other school leaders are worried about the increase of the non-traditional student population in American higher education. This includes older adults and students with fewer financial resources, meaning their need for support from their institution is greater.

Mike Summers helps run the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's Meyerhoff Scholars Program. The public research university's program offers financial assistance¹⁴ to high performing minority high school students interested in science.

The program forces students to work together on special projects, helps them get research experience in real laboratories¹⁵ and even requires them to come to classes early.

Summers says there are a lot of students who dream of becoming scientists but never do. The Meyerhoff program works¹⁶ to ensure that minority students are given a chance to enter those fields. He adds that it is one of the main purposes of higher education.

"Whether it's medical research or technology or math, or even just inspiring students ... there is ... desire to do what's right," said Summers.

Words in This Story

specific – adj. clearly and exactly presented or stated

institution(s) – n. an established organization

rapidly – adv. happening in a short amount of time

global – adj. involving the entire world

unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

liberal arts – n. areas of study, such as history, language, and literature, that are meant to give you general knowledge rather than to develop specific skills needed for a profession

reflect(ed) – v. to show something

degree – n.an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university

determining – v. making a decision

inspiring – v. making someone want to do something

1 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

2 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

3 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

5 liberal   

adj.心胸宽阔的；自由(主义)的；慷慨的

参考例句：

• He has a liberal attitude to divorce and remarriage.他对离婚和再婚看得很开。
• This country adopts a liberal foreign policy.该国采用的是开放的外交政策。

6 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

7 demonstrate   

vt.论证，证明；示范；显示；vi.示威游行

参考例句：

• Let me demonstrate to you how this machine works.我给你演示一下这台机器的运转情况。
• How can I demonstrate to you that my story is true?我怎样才能向你证明我的话是真实的呢？

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

10 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

11 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

12 campus   

n.大学校园，学校校园；大学　

参考例句：

• They spoke of the old days on the campus.他们谈起昔日的校园生活。
• The campus covers an area of twenty square kilometres.这个校园占地二十平方公里。

13 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

14 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。

15 laboratories   

n.实验室( laboratory的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For, eight years, Marie Curie worked in cold laboratories with poor equipment. 整整八年，居里夫人在设备简陋、冰冷的实验室里做着实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• Some commercial laboratories use periodic nitrate tests as guides. 许多商业性的试验室已应用定期的硝态氮分析作为指导。 来自辞典例句

16 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。