The Iowa Stater
Dec. 15, 1995
Nourishing the soul
I encountered Plato's Republic in philosophy class during my undergraduate days at the Illinois Institute of Technology. I was a physics major, more interested in thermodynamics, kinetic theory and the kind of science that would soon put man on the moon than in the 2,000-year-old musings of introspective Greeks. And yet, many years later, I still can remember how absolutely fascinating was that first reading of Plato. The questions we explored in class were wonderful, mind-expanding.
What is truth? What is beauty? What can we know? What is an informed life?
Through that philosophy class and through other general education classes outside my major, I began to glimpse the world of the arts and sciences and the many approaches we have to understanding ourselves and our world. I find the lessons I learned in those general classes have been as useful to me as the lessons learned in course work in my chosen major of physics. History showed me the triumphs and failures of civilizations. Psychology gave me an entirely different way to look at how the world behaves. Philosophy, Plato in particular, made me think about values, governments, responsibility. With those classes came new ways of thinking, understanding and enjoyment.
At Iowa State, such classes constitute the "liberal" in the liberal and practical education that are the linchpins of the land-grant educa- tional philosophy. They are absolutely essential to a full education. And yet, for too many of our students, these lower division, general education classes are just another set of largely unrelated hoops to jump through en route to a degree and a job. Today's students are partial to the practical -- to the kind of education they believe will be most useful in helping them get high-paying jobs and perform well in them. A practical education, of course, is essential as well. Engineers must know fluid mechanics. Economists need expertise in macroeconomics. Computer scientists need to understand artificial intelligence. But we do our students a disservice if we send them into the world and the workplace all stocked up with the tools of their trades, but lacking in the broader education that will enrich their lives personally as well as professionally and give them perspectives beyond their professional expertise.
"Send us well-rounded workers." That's a common refrain among employers, including Jerry Junkins, an ISU alumnus and CEO of Texas Instruments. Junkins says that today's engineers must work in teams, communicate well, get along with a diverse group of co-workers and adapt to a constant and breathtaking pace of change. He believes a broad education helps aspiring engineers develop the people skills for teamwork, and the critical thinking tools and perspective for solving problems and adapting to change. Junkins' views are as relevant to other aspiring young professionals as they are to engineers. Those who will be successful are those who understand the many perspectives that can be brought to bear on a particular problem, whether it involves designing a calculator or understanding the growth of an economy.
A rich liberal education produces so much more than good workers. As we survey the world around us, it is clear that the challenging issues of society -- the development of lifelong learning skills, issues of race and gender, the effectiveness of government, the wise and humane use of knowledge, and balancing individual liberty with community needs -- require citizens with the ability to think critically and to comprehend beyond their vocations. More importantly, a rich liberal education is essential for a good life. Knowledge is liberating. It nourishes the soul. To know about Plato, DNA, relativity, the Civil War, Shakespeare, human behavior, Monet is to understand something of the complexity, beauty and richness of the world.
We want students to experience some of that complexity, beauty and richness while they're at Iowa State. That's why we are renewing our efforts to provide each student, no matter his or her major, with a strong liberal education. We propose to put new emphasis on those courses that provide the basis for our students' liberal education. We are going to encourage greater coherence to the educational experience. Rather than viewing a course of study as simply English plus physics plus math plus history, we wish to weave it all together, to deliberately relate one class to another, to show the relevance, for example, of Plato to genetic engineering, Abraham Lincoln to journalism or Einstein to agronomy. It's not an easy thing to do but when done well, it holds the promise of a richer kind of education.
Every June, alumni come back to campus to reminisce and renew acquaintances. At a special banquet for the class celebrating its 50- year reunion, one of the class members is called on for remarks. Without fail, these speakers talk about the wonderful, basic education they received at Iowa State. They talk about really learning chemistry or English. They remember the teachers who taught these very basic, important subjects. They tend not to reminisce so much about specialized courses, but about the basic educational foundations that were put in place here at Iowa State. It is clear from their eloquence and thoughtfulness that they are indeed very well educated and have reaped the rewards of that fine education in full lives.
We aspire to the same rich educational experience for today's students. I'm reminded of the words of M.J. Riggs, Iowa State class of 1883. They are etched in stone above the stairs in the Memorial Union.
"We come to college not alone to prepare to make a living, but to learn
to live a life."
- Martin Jischke, ISU President
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