The Uses of the University by Clark Kerr - Article Example

The changes that Kerr proposes begins with a greater dependency on tuition. If students are serious about their degrees, and if they are entering higher-paying professions, they should be able to take on higher tuition. This may seem like a negative to attending a research college, but it will also provide students with more learning opportunities while in school. Another proposition is that the government should be more concerned with the welfare of these students, especially since the students will be playing a large role in the economy.

The public should also become concerned with the success of these students and should help by providing facilities for learning, such as hospitals. Kerr believes that since these students will be helping society and the government with their education, then society and the government should be willing to help them in return by allowing them to receive this education. In “Magnet Schools and the Pursuit of Racial Balance,” Ellen Goldring and Claire Smrekar look to a different style of schooling, one that takes into consideration the importance of racial diversity.

Magnet schools were originally designed in 1960 to offer students both educational opportunities that they would not find in traditional schools and unique experiences in racially segregated environments. However, the number of magnet schools have drastically risen since then, starting with an impressive spike that was seen in 1975, but many began to take different approaches to their teaching methods or what they offered. Even though segregation has stopped being a pressing issue, parents and teachers alike are still concerned that magnet schools uphold this one important aspect.

A study was done among magnet schools in St. Louis and Cincinnati to determine if the magnet schools still provided students with racially diverse environments and growing opportunities. Questionnaires were handed out to parents of magnet school students, as well as to teachers. Traditional schools were also looked at in the study. There were some parents and teachers who felt that segregation should start within the neighborhoods and that the magnet schools were only further isolating minority students.

While most participants agreed that segregation should start in the neighborhoods, the majority of the study participants felt that the magnet schools provided ample opportunity for students to discover and accept new cultural and racial backgrounds. Frederick Rudolph focuses on the rise of colleges and other higher education institutes in “The American College and University: A History.” Prior to the Civil War, hundreds of colleges had attempted to strive in a gradually growing intellectual world.

Unfortunately, many of these colleges quickly went down in flames, or else lacked important aspects to keep themselves going, like professors, students, presidents, or even a building. Colleges looked to tomorrow for the hope that their school would be successful, that they would one day progress. The University of Michigan was the first successful college to see off graduates, which left other colleges feeling even more hopeful. These first colleges were created for many reasons. They started off as religious institutes where men could better themselves spiritually and intellectually.

Most colleges were founded by religious denominations, which is how they got the money to develop. Another reason was due to rivalries between states; students would move to another state to attend college, so states made sure that they each had colleges for their young citizens. Finally, colleges were created so that learned men could give back to their society. However, as Americans began to be more impressed by self-taught men who lacked formal education, the college became more of a private investment than a social one, providing young men, and then women enhanced money-making career opportunities.