My lazy American Students written by a Babson Prof

DedicatedMother
Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:52:51 +0000

Here is a great response from the Dean of Babson regarding the Boston Globe Article. It is on the web on Babson’s blogs by the Dean.

Dean’s Digest | Home
Musings from the mind and travels of Babson’s undergraduate dean Dennis Hanno
The Boston Globe Column
Posted December 23, 2009 at 10:03 am by: dhanno
A column penned by journalist (and Babson adjunct professor) Kara Miller has generated much conversation on Boston.com and filled my inbox with more emails than I have ever received on any one topic. Miller reportedly develops the premise of her piece, loosely captured by the title “My Lazy American Students,” from her recent experience in the classroom here at Babson. There are a few important points I’d like to make about this piece.

First, remember that this is not a fact-based article, but rather an opinion piece that appeared on the op/ed page of the print edition of the Globe. We are all entitled to our opinions and I would steadfastly defend Miller’s right to express hers. However, it is also important to remember that the views expressed are only her own and not those of the institution, the faculty as a whole, or even some recognized subset of the institution such as a division or department. As such, her personal opinions as they relate to Babson are based only on her limited and brief experience here.

The public expression of an opinion always invites debate and discussion, and I am confident that Miller would welcome this. Opinions can be shaped by experiences and facts. As experiences are shared and data is analyzed, opinions will shift and stronger arguments will be formed to support existing opinions. Certainly the experiences that have been shared in the responses to the original piece suggest that there are strong opposing views. For my part, having worked in higher education for over twenty years, it would be easy for me to produce anecdote after anecdote – and real data derived from the performance of students at Babson and elsewhere – that would illustrate the folly of ascribing the term “lazy” to any one category of students.

But this leads to the more important point that Miller’s piece raises for me. While Miller notes that, “…it would be wrong to suggest that all American students are the same,” it is apparent that she makes (and is perceived by others to be making) broad generalizations about individual students on the basis of membership in a certain group or category. That is not the way that Babson operates, and the outcry suggests that many people understand the need to treat students (people) as individuals and evaluate each on his or her own merits. Do we all often fall prey to drawing easy conclusions about others based on the few characteristics that might be readily apparent to us? I’m sure that the answer is “yes” for most of us, and Miller has succeeded in creating a spirited dialogue about the need to stay away from developing stereotypes and lumping people in categories. It may be an unintended positive consequence of the generalizations she draws in her piece, but Miller has clearly struck a nerve and helped us to engage in an important dialogue. We cannot have this dialogue enough – recognizing and reaffirming our commitment to an inclusive community will only strengthen us.

The original piece and the many resulting comments on it cannot change one irrefutable fact: Babson is one of the most diverse academic communities in this country, with dedicated students, faculty and staff who are highly motivated and driven to excellence. This is supported by fact after fact and anecdote after anecdote: highly selective admission, one of the highest percentages of international and U.S. multicultural students in the country, phenomenal success in the job market, Fulbright scholars, student service projects in all corners of the globe, and the list could go on for pages. To achieve this kind of success, we have actively sought out the best and brightest from all corners of the globe and from many different backgrounds. What we have at Babson is truly unique – one of the most diverse and talented groups of students in the world. You can’t find another group like it anywhere.

I’m fortunate to have a big picture view of Babson that is developed from the opportunity I have to get to know and work with almost every undergraduate on this campus. It is clearly not a place for lazy students – American or otherwise. It is a place where students are challenged and a place that values the diversity of opinions and experiences that individuals bring to the community. This is what makes Babson strong, exciting and thriving. While I certainly don’t agree with the conclusions reached by Miller, I’m excited to engage in the important dialogue her opinion has spurred. The dialogue will be hard work and must include the entire community, but I know we are all up to the challenge!