“Back to Basics” Aims of Education Address Stresses, Shapes, Counting
ROCKEFELLER CHAPEL—President Paul Alivisatos announced on Monday that this year’s Aims of Education address will reflect a readjustment of priorities, placing fundamental skills such as counting and identifying shapes at the forefront of the University’s educational philosophy.
Explaining the importance of “bringing our focus back to the basics,” Alivisatos directed this year’s speaker, Slavic Languages and Literatures Professor Maria Glagoleva, to devote the majority of her speech to highlighting the personal fulfilment that comes with being able to count to one hundred and sing through the alphabet without help from one’s parents. “It’s been neat playing around with this whole ‘expanding your capacity to engage critically with challenging ideas’ and ‘deepening your understanding of your role in an ever-changing world’ routine, but it’s time to get back to the stuff that really matters,” said Alivisatos. “Do our students know about rectangles? Do they know what sound a cow makes?”
In an interview following Alivisatos’ announcement, Professor Glagoleva expressed enthusiasm for the proposed reworking of the speech. “A well-rounded liberal arts education is kind of dumb anyway,” she told the Dealer. “So like, I don’t know. It’s probably good to count stuff.”
The University’s shifting academic approach will also be reflected in the curriculum for the new school year, with coloring books to be introduced for the first time to programs other than Business Economics. Additionally, professors will be encouraged to help students sound out challenging words encountered in the readings, and to reward successful attempts with animal crackers and lollipops.
Griffin is the deputy managing editor for this paper, and was born early in the morning.
