The ebb and flow of higher education has caused many changes to Tufts University. YouTube.com video submissions are the newest addition to Tufts' unique application process, fiscal responsibility has become a watchword due to the present economic climate and Dave's Fresh Pasta might be added to Meals on Points (MOPS), a move that would probably be universally applauded. Firmly planted among the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities, Tufts' situation presents an ideal opportunity to analyze the realities of our school on the hill. Tufts rests on a precipice — the school can continue to lead the way as one of the top universities in the country, or all the changes that are occurring simultaneously can cause the school to stagnate. With the looming departures of Tufts University President Larry Bacow and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg, the impending arrival of a Green Line MBTA stop on Boston Avenue, tuition costs that are the most expensive in Massachusetts and applicant pools that increase in size every year, there is no better time to take a look at our present crossroads and forecast our unclear future.
The Experimental College (ExCollege) invites you to take part in this conversation and think creatively about how Tufts will navigate the next decade. On Mar. 12 at 12 pm in the Chase Dining Room (attached to Carmichael Hall), the Experimental College is hosting FeedBack, a luncheon and roundtable discussion for faculty and students. This unique program provides an environment for the student body and professors to interact as they discuss pertinent issues relating to FeedBack's timely theme: Tufts in 2020.
Faculty and student interaction is integral to a constructive learning environment. The ExCollege's mission is to bring both groups together, and FeedBack provides the opportunity for students and professors to engage in compelling conversations outside of the classroom setting. At the FeedBack event, faculty and students will have a dialogue about pre-major advising, the merit of research and the benefits of teaching and what education means. These open-ended topics will result in a thoughtful, profound discourse.
This valuable opportunity relates to 2020, but also is significant to your present Tufts career. The issues that will be raised during the event are topics that the ExCollege Board deemed pertinent in the present. For example, higher education in general and Tufts University specifically have undergone a seismic shift in recent years from an emphasis on teaching to a focus on research. Publications are a requirement for tenure — a more important component, perhaps, than teaching. FeedBack will allow professors and students to share their opinions on such an important topic. Has the emphasis on publications made student-faculty relations more strained? Does publishing raise the prestige of the university? Do great teachers, who do not publish, get left out in the cold? And is there a correlation between the emphasis on teaching versus research and the difficulty students face in getting letters of recommendation from faculty for internships and jobs? These provocative questions are bound to intrigue.
Creating a community on Tufts' campus is an extremely critical element of the college experience. Oftentimes community can get lost in the shuffle of classes, homework and exams. FeedBack is a great opportunity to foster relationships with new people and new faculty, and to bring Tufts closer together. Rub elbows with a dean, mingle with Tufts Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha, discuss the stress of being an admissions officer and talk baseball with Professor of Judaic Studies Sol Gittleman. Come to FeedBack — eat a delicious lunch, learn a lot, meet some professors and have a blast doing it. Attendance will be well worth your time.
If you are interested in attending FeedBack, please RSVP to excollege@tufts.edu or by calling 617-627-3384.
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Benji Cohen is a junior majoring in history. He is a member of the Experimental College Board.
