Response to Spellings Report - August,
2006
MEMORANDUM
TO: St.
Lawrence Faculty and Staff
FROM: President Daniel
F. Sullivan
RE: Spellings
Commission Report
DATE: August
15, 2006
Reference: Spellings Report
You may have seen in the news last week that the
federal Commission on the Future of Higher Education—the
so-called “Spellings Commission” since
convened by Margaret Spellings, our current Secretary of Education—has
just released its report. It is, on the whole, highly critical of American higher
education in ways that raised my blood pressure considerably. I got some of it
off my chest by writing three short essays--on what should be the appropriate
higher education for the 21st century, on science and mathematics education,
and on access to and affordability of higher education--and thought to share
them with you as we get ready to begin the University's 151st year.
In case you haven't seen the Spellings Commission report, follow the link in
the box at the right.
In its overarching, summary criticism, the report says: “American higher
education has become what, in the business world, would be called a mature enterprise:
increasingly risk-averse, at times self-satisfied, and unduly expensive.” A
few days' exposure to
St. Lawrence, and to you, would make it quite evident that we are surely not
risk-averse (I know of no more innovative faculty anywhere); we are not self-satisfied,
else why our constant preoccupation with getting better at what we do; and I
don't believe we are unduly expensive, though I deeply wish we could afford to
be even more generous with the financial aid we provide for our students.
I'm not sure how seriously this report will be taken, but there are still two
years left in the term of the current national administration. Clearly, we need
to do more to get the word out about our own approach to excellence in collegiate
education, and we will be working to place one or more of my short essays where
they will be visible.
I'm greatly looking forward to the start of our new year. All best wishes.
