Leaders vs. Thinkers

In William Deresiewicz and Mark Edmundson’s discussion on The Academic-Industrial complex, several issues were raised, including the notion of the “leader vs. thinker”. Deresiewicz states that elite universities today are profoundly anti-intellectual; they don’t encourage students to search for “the big questions”. Students in college are products of a system that encourages them to pursue prestige admissions and the lucrative jobs, ignoring the fact that the purpose of an education is to make minds, not careers. The idea that colleges today are only interested in producing these successful “leaders” is evident in the college application process and the majority of universities in America.

Deresiewicz explains that elite universities aren’t set up to help students ask the big questions. In fact, American students would have a better chance of hearing these big questions raised in the 19th century in chapels or literary societies. Universities today boast they teach their students how to think, but what they really mean is “…that they teach them the analytic and rhetorical skills necessary for success in law or medicine or science or business”. Deresiewicz points out the irony that universities still feel education is more than just training for a career, “…when students get to college, they hear a couple of speeches telling them to ask the big questions, and when they graduate, they hear a couple more speeches telling them to ask the big questions. And in between, they spend four years taking courses that train them to ask the little questions—specialized courses, taught by specialized professors, aimed at specialized students.” These specialized students Deresiewicz discusses are exactly what the universities want; the students are classified as “leaders”, they don’t ask big questions and aren’t skeptical of the system.

When performing the rigorous task of filing college applications, students are almost always asked the question “what makes you a leader?” Universities expect the student to have completed a large amount of community service hours, volunteer work, and work experience. This cookie-cutter expectation of students may deter them from doing what they prefer to do with their time, such as writing or traveling. Students are so busy trying to fulfill the requirements of college acceptance that they hardly ever stop and think about the big questions or become skeptical of the system.

Critics of the system, “thinkers”, aren’t desired at elite universities because they don’t provide institutional loyalty as the “leaders” do. Elite schools receive a large percentage of their budget from alumni giving; as Deresiewicz’s friend says, the “purpose of Yale College is to manufacture Yale alumni.” In order for this system to work, alumni need to have lucrative jobs. This causes students to choose more practical majors instead of focusing on the humanities, stifling intellectualism. The idea of the “corporate university” is evident here in Orange County, with business schools in Fullerton, Irvine and Orange stepping into the spotlight. Millions of dollars have been recently donated to these universities and their business schools by alumni. Lucy Dunn, president of the Orange County Business Council, stated in a local newspaper, “How could you say anything but thank you so much…keep the checks coming.” It is apparent that the focus of universities today is more about making money than stimulating their students’ minds.

Deresiewicz and Mark Edmundson recognize the current crisis in the academic system. There is little advancement to be made in the quest for the answers to big questions. Students need to rely on their own life experiences and pursue their own thoughts about life than depend on their university.