Thursday, July 10, 2008

Big Paycheck or Service? Students Are Put to the Test - The Tech

Fascinating debate . . . maybe Harvard should hit up alums for donations to non-profits (Gates Fdn) instead of these "seminars".

Big Paycheck or Service? Students Are Put to the Test - The Tech

A prominent education professor at Harvard has begun leading “reflection” seminars at three highly selective colleges, which he hopes will push undergraduates to think more deeply about the connection between their educations and aspirations.

The professor, Howard Gardner, hopes the seminars will encourage more students to consider public service and other careers beyond the consulting and financial jobs that he says are almost the automatic next step for so many graduates of top colleges.

“Is this what a Harvard education is for?” asked Professor Gardner, who is teaching the seminars at Harvard, Amherst, and Colby with colleagues. “Are Ivy League schools simply becoming selecting mechanisms for Wall Street?”