The Importance of College
English Writing 300
Essay #2
01 October 2013
The Importance of College Higher education can be very beneficial to the individual and to the broader community. The common conception that higher education would mean higher pay is proven to be true. Not only is college beneficial to the individuals, but in the long-run, it helps their communities as well. College-graduates can provide their communities with new businesses and a better skilled work-force. Therefore, it would be an advantageous for people to attend college as it will promise a brighter future. College education was said to be beneficial even in the earliest years of American history. One of the many people who advocated college was Thomas Jefferson, “The less wealthy people… by the bill for a general education, would be qualified to understand their rights, to maintain them, and to exercise with intelligence their parts of self-government…” (88). His writings about education has shaped the early decades of America’s schooling system. He thought that education would help to ensure the equality of all people in the country. Higher education was thought to be beneficial to early America because it was supposed to preserve the nation’s democracy. Schools like Harvard in 1636 and Yale in 1701 strongly approved of a good education. The colonies of America directly supported many of the early colleges (Rudolph 492). In the 1950s, The Truman Commission on Higher Education helped push the community college movement. They said that education would promote “equal liberty and equal opportunity to differing individuals and groups” (Ostar 168). This group wanted the citizens of America to be able to understand their rights and duties in the democratic nation. Typically, today’s belief about college is that it provides better economic benefits. These benefits could be higher status jobs and better pay. These beliefs stem from many sources. Every year, newspaper and television would feature stories about
Essay #2
01 October 2013
The Importance of College Higher education can be very beneficial to the individual and to the broader community. The common conception that higher education would mean higher pay is proven to be true. Not only is college beneficial to the individuals, but in the long-run, it helps their communities as well. College-graduates can provide their communities with new businesses and a better skilled work-force. Therefore, it would be an advantageous for people to attend college as it will promise a brighter future. College education was said to be beneficial even in the earliest years of American history. One of the many people who advocated college was Thomas Jefferson, “The less wealthy people… by the bill for a general education, would be qualified to understand their rights, to maintain them, and to exercise with intelligence their parts of self-government…” (88). His writings about education has shaped the early decades of America’s schooling system. He thought that education would help to ensure the equality of all people in the country. Higher education was thought to be beneficial to early America because it was supposed to preserve the nation’s democracy. Schools like Harvard in 1636 and Yale in 1701 strongly approved of a good education. The colonies of America directly supported many of the early colleges (Rudolph 492). In the 1950s, The Truman Commission on Higher Education helped push the community college movement. They said that education would promote “equal liberty and equal opportunity to differing individuals and groups” (Ostar 168). This group wanted the citizens of America to be able to understand their rights and duties in the democratic nation. Typically, today’s belief about college is that it provides better economic benefits. These benefits could be higher status jobs and better pay. These beliefs stem from many sources. Every year, newspaper and television would feature stories about
Cited: Jefferson, Thomas. The autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1790: together with a summary of the chief events in Jefferson 's life. New York: Dover Publications, 2005. Print. "NELA." NELA. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. Ostar, Allan W. Colleges and universities for change: America 's comprehensive public state colleges and universities. New York: AASCU Press, 1987. Print. Reaping the benefits: defining the public and private value of going to college: the new millennium project on higher education costs, pricing, and productivity. Washington, D.C.: The Institute for Higher Education, 1998. Print. Rudolph, Frederick. The American college and university, a history. 1st ed. New York: Alferd. A. Knopf, 1990. Print.