The End of College summary

Have you ever considered when and where the first universities emerged? Or even what their ethos was? Well, they were originally student focused.

The first university was established in Bologna in 1088 – by students! They hired teachers on contracts that today’s professors would balk at, to say the least. There were strict conditions and rules. Teachers couldn’t just cancel class if they felt like it and punctuality was a must. What’s more, they were fined if student attendance was too low, because it was a sure sign that the teacher wasn’t doing his job properly by keeping the students engaged in earlier lectures.

From the fifteenth century, Gutenberg’s printing press spread knowledge throughout Europe. In the wake of its impact you might expect the power balance in the knowledge economy to shift. After all, books were cheaper, in wider circulation and sometimes even affordable!

But did things change? Absolutely not.

The fundamentals behind the very concept of a university have never been resolved: What should it be? At whom should it aim its teachings? What subjects should be taught?

In the United States, three principles guided universities from the start.

Today’s universities are hybrid institutions. This means they don’t exist solely as research, practical training or liberal arts institutions. The hybrid model was devised by the former president of Harvard University, Charles William Eliot (1834–1926).

Eliot believed that before students became world-class scholars in, say, chemistry, medicine or law, they should first be taught to observe and contemplate. His general bachelor’s degree was designed to nurture these skills.

Even the briefest examination of the American education system reveals its deep flaws. And there are some pretty big elephants in the room.

For starters, it’s clear that the focus of the hybrid university is skewed. It focuses primarily on research at the expense of undergraduate teaching. The three principles aren't evenly weighted.

Just imagine earning credit for your degree while you’re at home with your snug comforter around you. The University of Everywhere lets you do it. Perhaps you can forgive its few faults.

Let’s begin with the downsides. When compared to the current hybrid-model university, the University of Everywhere lacks the face-to-face interaction that comes from a student–teacher relationship. Direct contact with a teacher is a plus, but let’s not make a big deal of it. Teachers at hybrid universities still aren’t trained properly.