Degrees of Separation Gender Gap Among College Graduates Has Educators Wondering Where the Men Are

Washington Post ^ | Tuesday, June 25, 2002 | Michael A. Fletcher

[Frapster]

BALTIMORE -- As Morgan State University President Earl S. Richardson surveyed the sea of newly minted graduates at the school's 126th commencement last month, his joy was tempered by a question that has grown too conspicuous to ignore: Where are all the men?

Not only were the head of student government, the senior class president and 96 of Morgan's 141 honorstudents women, but so were two-thirds of the university's 860 graduates.

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[maxwell]

As a professor once told me, a major function of higher education is to show you how little you know and how much there is to know.

See my post #40.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Not really there are many of them in jails, dropped out. Look at the disparaties in High School graduation rates between black men and women.

[twigs]

My daughter who wishes to become an interior designer recently talked to an architect. He in turn recommended that she get a fine arts degree rather than a degree in interior design. We were surprised, but he told her that firms would rather that the BA degree would teach her to think and the firm that hired her would rather teach her the specific skills she would need for the job. This is the way higher education was supposed to work and I, for one, am glad to see employers thinking like this. Hopefully, the thing that will separate her from those making minimum-level wages is that she plans to get internships in college so that after she graduates, she will have both professional contacts and experience. And, she has innate talent.

[Lou L]

I'm sure that's great advice from the architect--it sounds very reasonable. Practical experience and contacts gained in an internship is also very sound. At one time, I think a lot of companies believed that if you hired a generalist; i.e., a liberal arts major, it would equip the potential employee with all they needed to be trained on the job. Some companies may have this luxury, and for them it may still be their preferred approach. It may work for fields like interior design, but let's face it, the economy can support only so many interior designers.

I stand by my original claim though, too many think that a 4-year degree by itself, is sufficient for perennial job security. When everyone and their brother has a 4-year degree, you must find other ways to differentiate yourself from the rest of the job market. Professional degrees, internships, self-employment, and post-grad work are the way to do that.

[twigs]

I agree with all you say!