Death, Dying, and Abortion, Essay Example

In examining the four core values set forth in the founding of the college, I see a consideration  for modern issues and elements not typically present in “founding” declarations. Most colleges rely on traditional statements that refer to old-fashioned virtues of integrity and scholarship, and these are certainly valid. Nonetheless, I welcome the values this college promotes as especially relevant.

What appeals to me the most strongly is how integrated these values are, as they address concerns of the world today and the directions we can reasonably see it moving in. To begin with, social responsibility is not an abstract concept; it goes to the heart of the sense of empowerment my generation possesses, and it goes as well to a needed sense of the impact we as individuals have. Modern life has made it clear that we are all socially dependent upon one another, at least in some manner. As I see it, this value translates to my understanding that my actions, from what lever I pull in a voting booth to whether or not I choose to assist in an oil spill clean-up, have repercussions far beyond myself. This is a truly universal value.

Intercultural understanding, in my view, is more complicated a core value than it might first appear. The world is changing rapidly, and my generation is riding the crest of these changes. They are global. Communication access unthinkable twenty years ago is now employed everywhere, and the borders of nations become more and more lines on maps, and little else. Then, as immigrants are continuing to make up an increasing part of the population, intercultural understanding is not a scholarly luxury. It is a necessity for daily life. I see this as a reminder to myself to keep my mind open as I encounter people from all over the world. For me and my generation, that is an inevitability.

In a very real sense, I think this last core value is strongly linked with that of interdisciplinary learning. That is, as the world shifts and cultures combine, there is no more place for an isolated point of view or focus, no matter what field I choose to apply myself to. People are not the only things being displaced in today’s world; commerce and scholarly activities are expanding and combining as well, and a wider range of learning is becoming more valuable. It not only brings with it the specific learning itself, but adds to the sense of openness about what else can be of value. I very much like a value that stresses how learning should not be isolated, and I want to be open to all the disciplines that pertain to mine.

To me, student autonomy is a very welcome core value of the college. I take this almost as a challenge; I may not rely on excuses if my performance is not up to par, and I also cannot expect to smoothly sail along by following established routines and procedures. This means that I am responsible for myself, completely, and for whatever I take from the college experience. Student autonomy translate to open opportunity to me, as it must to my generation. It says that we are respected as students, as it implies that we are responsible for deserving that respect.

Taken together, the college’s four core values represent to me a modern and encouraging faith in the student body to take the reins of a new world. What is absent in these values is any sense of education pursued for its own sake. They reinforce that we are going to college for a reason, to equip ourselves to be as productive and contented members of society as possible. The issues my generation will face are largely impossible to foresee, simply because life as we know and live it today is in a state of flux unprecedented in history. By using these values as what they are meant to be, as “cores” of the college and the entire experience of it, I can see the best possible value strategy for gaining the most out of the college years, and taking these gains into that changing world.