Category Archives: Granville Sawyer

It’s STEAM Not STEM!

Granville Sawyer, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Non-traditional Students, Parents, Student Success, Students, Success In College, Uncategorized

A few weekends ago, I went with my wife to a conference sponsored by Americans for the Arts in Sundance Utah.  My main reason for being there was to accompany her and enjoy the resort.  I learned some things there too.  In talking with other arts administrators from around the country, I realized how important knowledge and appreciation for the arts is for all students regardless of their major. Something I experienced when I was in college.

As an undergraduate engineering student, I had to have 223 quarter hours to complete my degree.  Only three of these were for a free elective.  I took the easiest sounding course I could find – music appreciation.  It wasn’t what it sounded like at all!  Our teacher started with the Gregorian Chants from 900 AD and went right up to the present day popular music at that time including the classics.  She really challenged us.   I took the time to study and learn to appreciate all the music we listened to.  In addition to passing the course, I developed an appreciation for classical music I still have today.  We are subscribers to the Baltimore Symphony and go at least three or four times a season.  I have thanked my teacher many times for helping me learn and appreciate the arts.  Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are all very important areas of study but no student’s education is complete without developing an appreciation for the arts.  It’s STEAM not STEM.  The arts are important too.

Racism and White Privilege In America

Granville Sawyer, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Parents, Students, Uncategorized
Three Keys by mmarchin via flickr

The current racially charged environment in America and the 400th anniversary of slavery have resulted in two articles I want to highlight in this post. The first is The 1619 Project in the New York Times. It’s a series of essays that comprehensively address slavery, which began in 1619, and the consequences of racial oppression and exploitation throughout history up to today. The essays clearly show that slavery isn’t something that happened in the past and is over now. They insightfully chronical the political, social and economic costs of slavery to African Americans and the society as a whole today. The 1619 Project is a must read for everyone interested in knowing the truth about slavery’s past, present and future in America even if these truths are uncomfortable.

One consequence of racial oppression in America is the strongly held notion of White Privilege. In All College Students Should Take a Mandatory Course on Black History and White Privilege, Emily Walton discusses the course she teaches on this topic. She writes that “…. race still exerts a powerful influence on life chances, working through institutions like higher education, the criminal justice system and the labor market. ” The result has been “white blindness”, i.e., the inability of some persons in America to even see the pervasive presence and influence of White Privilege. One of her challenges is getting a diverse group of students to take the class. Most of them are black which may show, in another way, how important addressing this issue is. According to Ms. Walton ” By the end of the term, students have a deep understanding of these complex social problems, and realistic ideas for how to make change through our relationships and institutions. “

I strongly recommend reading these articles and discussing them with a diverse group of people. That’s the only way we can begin to move forward from where we are today.

Examples of Excellence

Book Review, Coaching, First Generation College Students, Granville Sawyer, Higher Education, Non-traditional Students, Student Success

I read an article in the New York Times recently by Frank Bruni entitled A Surprising Path to the Ivy League. The story describes how Ms. Wadzanay Mayiseni from Zimbabwe was able to overcome tremendous obstacles to attend Columbia University thanks in part to the United Student Achievers Program. Mr. Bruni also briefly discusses other programs that are helping to get African Students into top American universities. All of the programs have many more students applying than can be accepted. We should all support these programs and know that the success stories are examples of excellence – strong indicators of the tremendous pool of talent in Africa that can benefit the world with just a little help from us.

Is Passing The Course Enough?

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© Stephen Coles on flickr

Having been in higher education for almost forty years, I have heard many reasons for students to go to college – some good and some not so good.  The focus is pretty much on getting a good paying job after graduation.  To do that, students take and pass courses until they’ve completed their requirements for graduation, so this is the focus – not learning anything or being able to use what was learned in the real world or even how to use it.

As an educator, I think we must shoulder some of the blame for this.  Too often, we present information to the students without really helping them understand why it’s important other than that it may be on the next test.  Because of this, the students retain information well enough to repeat it on the test and then forget it never really understanding its value.

This is not what we should do and this is not how learning takes place.  I tell my students that they are smart enough to learn the material, my job is to put it into context for them so they know how it fits with what else they should have learned and how to use the information after they graduate.  Put another way, I want them to be able to recognize an application of knowledge they obtained and know how to use that knowledge to solve real world problems and answer real world questions.  In the long run, this is what makes them valuable to an employer and to society in general – not what grades they got in college.  A few years after graduation, no one will ask them about their college experience any more.  They will want to know what they’ve done with what they learned since graduation.  Graduating may get them employed but what they learned while they were in school and how well they can use it will keep them employed.

A New Way To Reduce The Cost Of A College Education

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Several states offer free tuition programs for students to attend state colleges and universities.  The programs require various qualifiers including but not limited to state residency, maximum income cutoff, community service or attendance requirements and/or a minimum 2.5 grade point average in high school.  All programs also require parents and students to fill out the FAFSA form to assess financial need.  All the Places in the U.S. Where You Can Go to College for Free by Kaitlin Mulhere outlines 37 programs in 19 states.  One of these could reduce your cost of a college education by thousands of dollars.