In today's New York Times education supplement, the California Institute of Integral Studies announce an online open house for April 29, 3-5 pm (Pacific time). They are advertising online MA and PhD programs in "Human and Organizational Transformation," and "Transformative Learning & Change." Contact [email protected] for details. Other distance programs advertising in the supplement are Saybrook, Skidmore, Nova SE. There's also an interesting article about grade inflation at Duke (and elsewhere). The key point is in the last sentence: "By rewarding mediocrity, excellence is discouraged." The article will probably be available online at www.nytimes.com tomorrow.
The issue of grade inflation has been pervasive in the U.S. for many years resulting in a significant number of graduates with questionable levels of skill acquisition across academic disciplines. This is truly an unfortunate scenario in academia and one that needs to be addressed to prevent further erosion of the image of many professors and the schools they represent. Grade inflation also interfaces with the marginalization of admission standards for many universities including professional schools. As an example, to be admitted into a Clinical Psychology doctoral program in the 1960s or 70s, one required a minimum of an "A" gpa and GRE combined scores of approximately 1400. At the current time, an applicant can be accepted into a number of doctoral programs in this specialization area of Psychology with a "B" gpa and NO GRE requirement! This 'defining down" phenomena has resulted in a number of individuals, who basically are not up to the task academically, obtaining watered down versions of doctoral degrees. One colleague, a professor of Clinical Psychology at a major Ivy League University, indicated that he had three students in his doctoral program who demonstrated tenth grade reading and writing skills!
True...and many of those individuals attended bottom tier programs like Fielding Institute or similar schools. Not everyone can get into an academically respected psychology program.
And, on the other hand I have studied under professors who have attended Havard, Yale, Vanderbilt, etc. who were as dumb as a box of rocks. So, the point, IMHO, is that there are those who excell at Feilding and those who excell at Harvard......there are also those who simply can't make the grade....either at Harvard or at Feilding.............for example, take George W.... didn't he attend Harvard.....an MBA no less.......and would you say that he is the sharpest knife in the drawer????????
G.W. has his undergrad degree from Yale and his MBA from Harvard. I don't think he's as stupid as the media would like us to think, I just think he's not the greatest speaker. Anyone who is fluent in two languages (English & Spanish) has my respect. Bruce
