Daniel J. Ennis
It is said that a prophet is respected outside his own country.
The same is true of American public higher education. Prior to my appointment as president of Delta State University, I had the opportunity to travel abroad recruiting international students to come to the United States for a college education.
The range and diversity of our public universities is the envy of the world, and talented students from thousands of miles aspire to come here. However, the United States sometimes forgets that providing American students with a variety of higher education options provides an economic and cultural advantage.
It is strange that an educational model that is sought after and imitated in other countries is undervalued at home. Advised by our Founding Fathers that education was the key to a free republic, the United States has invested in a variety of public trade schools, liberal arts colleges, and research universities for generations.
James Madison said this most appropriately in 1822, when he appealed to state governments to create universities that would be accessible to a wide range of citizens. “In cheaper and nearby places to study, parents with lower incomes may enroll their sons in educational programs that provide the same level of…need for a common purpose in life as the sons of the wealthiest families.'' Spread education throughout society. ”
Mississippi's public regional universities are the very definition of “cheaper, closer to learning.” We strive to provide low-cost educational opportunities to underserved communities at elite educational institutions. The “sons of the rich” who sometimes become members of Congress may misunderstand our purpose.
Unlike most of Europe, where university degrees were only available to the wealthy, this young country believed in access to education. This access took decades to achieve, but eventually Madison's “sons” became “sons and daughters,” and desegregation further expanded public higher education. . The genius of the American system was and still is in its scope.
Unlike Britain, where most educational resources were concentrated in a few elite institutions, America established a variety of universities for different purposes depending on regional needs. Japan provided funding to vocational schools, teacher colleges, land-grant universities, and research institutes. In fact, after World War II, the addition of the GI Bill to that range of colleges made it possible for more Americans than ever before to earn a college degree, and large universities, along with small regional colleges, Having large state schools helped fuel the economic expansion and technological advances that won the Cold War.
China used an authoritarian model to consolidate more than 400 universities and push thousands of students into concentrated mega-universities. I had visited the crowded campus of Beijing Normal University a few years ago and found it both impressive and impersonal. The United States recognized that investing in universities of different sizes in different locations can lead to regional economic development and demonstrate the workforce development and employment opportunities available to smaller communities.
The great thing about our system is that we can serve students with different educational needs. For some students, large universities with an emphasis on advanced research and lecture-style coursework are the best option. Small, rural colleges, like the one currently under investigation in Mississippi, fill another niche, serving students who need a focus on educational excellence.
Should state universities be as efficient as possible? Surely. Must we be prepared to change in order to serve our fellow humans? absolutely. But mistaking diversity for weakness does Mississippi State a disservice.
Higher education has never been one-size-fits-all. Instead, we strive to ensure that learners receive the kind of instruction they need, where they are, in an environment that will help them succeed in life. And like the old prophet, just because you aren't respected in your country doesn't mean you have to abandon your mission. What we have is the envy of the world.
— Daniel J. Ennis to be president of Delta State University.
