Utah Valley University
Does Utah Valley need another university?
Does my son need a university education?
These are variations on the same question, and we've been giving them a lot of scrutiny at our house.
My son's dream is to become a commercial pilot. Has been ever since 1991, when he saw a Canadian goose in flight and said his first word, "duck." Now a junior in high school, he has worked his way through a rigorous track of math, science, and honors courses. Understandably, he is burned out. He doesn't see how these classes will benefit his future as a pilot. He has no desire for four more years of the same. He wants only to go to UVSC and get his pilot's license.
Enter Big Bad Mom. I fully support him in his goal to become a pilot, but I also insist on a university degree. So even though UVSC is an excellent place to get a pilot's license, I don't want to send him there because it's not a university.
His father and I, who have seen many a pilot collecting unemployment, know that, in addition to his commercial pilot's license, our son will need extra preparation for life. We, who are not yet forty but have changed careers several times, know he will need the broad survey of life provided by the general education requirements of a university. We have some idea of the leadership his future family, congregations, and communities will need, and we want him to be prepared for service.
We want him to spend his formative young adult years in the nurturing and stimulating environment that only a university can offer. Knowing that he is blessed by nature with the ability to complete a challenging course of study, we want him to acquire the discipline that comes from earning a four-year degree. We know that he will be better paid in the job market and better satisfied with himself for having done so.
What's true of my son is true of many other aspiring students in Utah Valley. But when I see in the newspaper that fewer than ten percent of Utah Valley students are served by Brigham Young University -- and as I watch our region's employers struggle to find qualified workers -- it becomes clear to me that Utah's universities, as presently constituted, are not meeting the market demand for higher education.
So when Carolyn Merrill -- principal of American Fork High School and also a trustee for UVSC -- asked our City Council to pass a resolution in support of UVSC and its effort to become a four-year university, I was pleased to vote in favor. Especially when I read the following paragraph in the college's promotional materials:
But when it came time to vote, the Council seemed satisfied by UVSC's avowed commitment to continue its focus on the trades, and by the additional presence and growth of the Mountainland Applied Technology Centers. The resolution passed unanimously. It is a non-binding resolution with no financial strings attached. May it lend strength to UVSC's arguments when they are heard by the Utah House of Representatives next week. (The bill has already cleared the Senate.)
Now, how to reason with my son?
Does my son need a university education?
These are variations on the same question, and we've been giving them a lot of scrutiny at our house.
My son's dream is to become a commercial pilot. Has been ever since 1991, when he saw a Canadian goose in flight and said his first word, "duck." Now a junior in high school, he has worked his way through a rigorous track of math, science, and honors courses. Understandably, he is burned out. He doesn't see how these classes will benefit his future as a pilot. He has no desire for four more years of the same. He wants only to go to UVSC and get his pilot's license.
Enter Big Bad Mom. I fully support him in his goal to become a pilot, but I also insist on a university degree. So even though UVSC is an excellent place to get a pilot's license, I don't want to send him there because it's not a university.
His father and I, who have seen many a pilot collecting unemployment, know that, in addition to his commercial pilot's license, our son will need extra preparation for life. We, who are not yet forty but have changed careers several times, know he will need the broad survey of life provided by the general education requirements of a university. We have some idea of the leadership his future family, congregations, and communities will need, and we want him to be prepared for service.
We want him to spend his formative young adult years in the nurturing and stimulating environment that only a university can offer. Knowing that he is blessed by nature with the ability to complete a challenging course of study, we want him to acquire the discipline that comes from earning a four-year degree. We know that he will be better paid in the job market and better satisfied with himself for having done so.
What's true of my son is true of many other aspiring students in Utah Valley. But when I see in the newspaper that fewer than ten percent of Utah Valley students are served by Brigham Young University -- and as I watch our region's employers struggle to find qualified workers -- it becomes clear to me that Utah's universities, as presently constituted, are not meeting the market demand for higher education.
So when Carolyn Merrill -- principal of American Fork High School and also a trustee for UVSC -- asked our City Council to pass a resolution in support of UVSC and its effort to become a four-year university, I was pleased to vote in favor. Especially when I read the following paragraph in the college's promotional materials:
Central Utah will need a workforce with greater variety and depth. Technology workers of the 21st century will not only operate sophisticated equipment, but will have to adjust rapidly to new ideas, new tasks and new systems. They will serve on teams with people trained in business, science and the humanities, and they will need to interact with people from other parts of the world. Before graduation, they will need to study with world-class faculty in complex learning environments and earn graduate degrees. They will need the advanced learning that is possible within a university.The resolution did experience a little difficulty getting past the City Council, however. Council members Gunther and Storrs expressed concern for the equally pressing market need for training in the trades and technical skills. The Gunther family has a long, strong history of support for this part of the school's mission -- a fact that is readily appreciated by any who have visited the Gunther Trade Building on the UVSC campus. The concern is valid. Our valley must prize the trades highly if we are to enjoy the quality of life that comes from a diverse economy.
But when it came time to vote, the Council seemed satisfied by UVSC's avowed commitment to continue its focus on the trades, and by the additional presence and growth of the Mountainland Applied Technology Centers. The resolution passed unanimously. It is a non-binding resolution with no financial strings attached. May it lend strength to UVSC's arguments when they are heard by the Utah House of Representatives next week. (The bill has already cleared the Senate.)
Now, how to reason with my son?
posted by Heidi Rodeback at 2:10 PM
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