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Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
11–20 of 56 posts
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#12> But the implicit message behind the rhetoric of leadership in the American college admissions is that intellectualism alone is not enough, even for an academic institution. Simply learning for learning's sake is not enough. Implicit? I'd say it's pretty explicit. Harvard, Yale, etc. aren't trying to be "normal" colleges, they're explicitly trying to produce the next generation of world leaders. Admissions make very…
With Yale or Harvard it makes perfect sense to emphasis leadership. Emphasizing leadership skills for STEM students at engineering schools? That makes less sense. Emphasizing leadership skills for developers at West Coast tech companies? Now we're just getting silly... Sure leadership plays a role in what I do, but I wouldn't rate it in the top 5 important skills.
As an example, to help myself get into college I was in the boy scouts and got eagle scout (that was the only reason, I hated it.) The idea there was that by teaching other kids how to use an axe without dismembering themselves, I demonstrated leadership skills that would prove valuable in computer science... Of course that is rubbish, that stuff doesn't even have anything to do with leadership, it is just going through the motions. Paying lip service to the idea of leadership because the idea of leadership, not actual leadership, is something that we are all addicted to.
I've gotten use to it though. My personal theory? Leaders overemphasis the importance of everyone being a leader. Just as tech people get behind "everyone should be a coder" initiatives, leaders get behind "everyone should be a leader" initiatives.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#13> But the implicit message behind the rhetoric of leadership in the American college admissions is that intellectualism alone is not enough, even for an academic institution. Simply learning for learning's sake is not enough. Implicit? I'd say it's pretty explicit. Harvard, Yale, etc. aren't trying to be "normal" colleges, they're explicitly trying to produce the next generation of world leaders. Admissions make very…
This is not limited to the Ivies: http://www.sa.sc.edu/leaders/
Of course, this is the same phenomenon on a larger scale. Nowhere tries to be "normal". Visit the website of any college or university: it will claim to be exceptional.
But is that such a bad thing? I for one, want to be around the sort of people who push others, the organizations they belong to, and themselves. And I aspire to be such a person as well.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#14Because capitalist societies are sociopathic constructs that thrive amidst a backdrop of perpetually unresolvable conflict.
The word "Leadership" is merely parlance for unquenchable Macbeth-like ambition, in a land where "greed is good."
This mindset is a self-fulfilling recursive prophecy, whereby everyone's self perception of their own Divine entitlement to authority stokes the flames of the human conflagration with a too-many-chiefs-not-enough-indians firestorm of caffiene and ritalin fueled animosity.
Oh wait, was I supposed to read the article?
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#15Consider a degree like a widget that is a trust metric. If you want to extract the highest price for your widget, you sell your product to the market with the deepest pockets. That in a nutshell seems to explain why university education is pitched to the 1%.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#16It's been quite obvious for some time that learning institutions (especially at the university level) have an ever stronger left leaning political and cultural agenda. Who better to indoctrinate to push their agenda than future leaders?
These "wise fools" will be the ruin of us all.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#17> But the implicit message behind the rhetoric of leadership in the American college admissions is that intellectualism alone is not enough, even for an academic institution. Simply learning for learning's sake is not enough. Implicit? I'd say it's pretty explicit. Harvard, Yale, etc. aren't trying to be "normal" colleges, they're explicitly trying to produce the next generation of world leaders. Admissions make very…
With Yale or Harvard it makes perfect sense to emphasis leadership. Emphasizing leadership skills for STEM students at engineering schools? That makes less sense. Emphasizing leadership skills for developers at West Coast tech companies? Now we're just getting silly... Sure leadership plays a role in what I do, but I wouldn't rate it in the top 5 important skills. As an example, to help myself get into college I was…
I always detested this empty "leadership" concept and I actively avoided doing anything like that in high school. I was lucky enough to get into my top choice of universities despite this. Today, I don't think I would be able to do that, and I only graduated high school 10 years ago.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#18> But the implicit message behind the rhetoric of leadership in the American college admissions is that intellectualism alone is not enough, even for an academic institution. Simply learning for learning's sake is not enough. Implicit? I'd say it's pretty explicit. Harvard, Yale, etc. aren't trying to be "normal" colleges, they're explicitly trying to produce the next generation of world leaders. Admissions make very…
With Yale or Harvard it makes perfect sense to emphasis leadership. Emphasizing leadership skills for STEM students at engineering schools? That makes less sense. Emphasizing leadership skills for developers at West Coast tech companies? Now we're just getting silly... Sure leadership plays a role in what I do, but I wouldn't rate it in the top 5 important skills. As an example, to help myself get into college I was…
I feel like everyone should be a "leader", in that it's important to develop qualities that are useful in leaders. Critical thinking, decision making, etc.
Even if you're not actually in charge, the related skills of leadership are useful.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#19> But the implicit message behind the rhetoric of leadership in the American college admissions is that intellectualism alone is not enough, even for an academic institution. Simply learning for learning's sake is not enough. Implicit? I'd say it's pretty explicit. Harvard, Yale, etc. aren't trying to be "normal" colleges, they're explicitly trying to produce the next generation of world leaders. Admissions make very…
>And rhetoric? It's reality. Our most recent 6 terms of presidents, and 9 out of 9 current Supreme Court justices, all have degrees from Harvard or Yale. So the whole leadership thing appears to be working, whether or not you think that's a good thing.
I think this has quite a bit more to do with the good ol' boy network and less to do with Yale's ability to produce leaders.
Re: Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'?
#20Because those who take leadership roles will eventually become efficient employees..