If I were to design a University...hmmm interesting question and this post might be longer than 250 words. To begin with, I am going to name it University X for the purposes of this blog. University X will be a liberal arts coeducational college with approximately 2000 undergraduate students. The following lists specific areas where I would make changes from a typical college:
Financial aid: in addition to state and federal aid and institutional aid, University X will also provide every incoming freshman with a job that is outside of the campus. This way, the students will not only be "forced" (I'm looking for a softer word) to explore the world outside of the college, but also find a constructive way of earning. These jobs would be picked by lottery, and as they progress through college, by skill level. For instance, first-years can be matched up with private residences looking for a babysitter or a clerking position at a corporate office. Upperclassmen can be paired up with internships. Although Chatham does have a resource for jobs and internships, the only students who make use of it are the ones who are willing to take the initiative. The above alternative really hits the concept of the job market off-campus to the first-years. Of course, students will be matched based on their interests and can refuse, but a higher percentage will be willing to go after the suggested job than if they have to find it for themselves at a later time.
Environment: University X will be an entirely green campus: green technology in every building, old and new, and an aggressive recycling program and a garden/functional greenhouse site nearby that provides a large portion of the food required by the college.
Academics: the strength of University X will lie in academics. The admission standards will be in the highly competitive range and the professors will be strongly encouraged to continually engage in research. Their research support will be in the undergraduate students, who can then attend conferences with them. The emphasis on scholarship will be to an extent where obtaining a position with a given professor will be competitive. The tutorial will definitely be a requirement for graduation.
This is a very interesting prompt so if I had more time and space, I would probably come up with more ideas but for now, I think this is sufficient.
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