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On the College of Arts and Science

An Investigation into Funding for the Development of Technology and Culture

By Tyler NorrisPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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Image credit: V2 Liquids

In regard to the colleges of arts, science, and business, there needs to be a change in the way in which the colleges interact. Currently, the college of nursing, business, engineering, and computer coding are taking the lead in highest grossing and most successful career fields. These are critical fields of study, but today I am advocating for the development of the funding for the College of Arts and Science.

What we need to see is an interest from the field of business in the arts and science industry. Currently, there is an overemphasis on athletics; with the improvement of technology, we are seeing a shift from the demand for athletes to the demand for intellects. The intense exercise we see now and the perfectly formed physiques of athletes we see now have only been achieved by the creation of athletic facilities and supplement programs. As we begin to perfect the art of sports and moneymaking, we see a class of individuals trying to hold up the frontier in the wake of new developments. Scientists, artists, innovators of all kinds are trying to make significant changes to the world of investigative study as we know it today, but the funding is not there. We need the field of business to seek out these individuals for the funding of new projects that could be the next major influence on our society.

After all, the major goal of business is to make the best investment. So many businesses go with the “safe” bet, invest in current trends in the market and go with what seems like the best choice for a short-term gain. They would rather invest in a short-term monetary gain than a long-term innovation. But how many men sitting in their homes right now have an Apple corporation sized idea? How many world-changing ideas exist right now that go undiscovered? Without the proper investment, these opportunities will go undiscovered. We need to see a revolution in the business industry as a world leader in change. If the ideas of tomorrow go unfunded, we cannot make the progress we need to see a completely different realization of our world for a better tomorrow.

First and foremost, the colleges of arts and science should have their own individual divisions. There is enough taking place in each of these fields that they can be expanded. The current condition of the art department on college campuses is severely lacking. The standards for classical and modern training in the arts need to be enhanced for rigorous activity, rather than the current standard.

Many art, dance, theater, music, and writing campuses around the country are giving little time for hands-on learning. For the few individuals who were lucky enough to go to an arts magnet high school, they come into the campuses having already an understanding of the field and find themselves having to repeat courses over that they have already taken. Some students who are new and coming into the field are not getting the proper training they need to succeed. This awkward mixture of experienced and inexperienced students leaves professors feeling lethargic and apathetic toward their work, which leads to an unsuccessful classroom experience. Art students who are seeking a rigorous hands-on activity that provides growth and development in the skills that they are aiming to train need to be provided for. Again, it seems like true investigative experience in an art field doesn’t come until you’ve pursued an MFA or higher, and many students do not have the time or funding to seek these degrees. I suggest the same system for the arts departments as the science departments.

Science needs to be having hands-on training in each field. There are fewer hands-on interactive scientific activities happening until the higher levels of training in education, such as graduate training. One of the major issues with the current education system is that we are training our students for textbook memory rather than hands-on experience. Classroom experience should be equivalent to internship experience. Without this, we won’t see an increase in future research. Scientists with a Ph.D. lead the field on research, but their undergraduate students need to be given assistantships. It takes several years for new research to be adapted into undergraduate schools. We need an overarching system that allows for the inclusion of new research to continually flow upward into the development of new information.

If students working in undergraduate study are working on a new concept in their classes, (working on-site or in the field, preferably), the students should be working on the concept in a one-on-one interaction with the professor. In his independent time, that professor would be working on backing up and supporting research on that already founded subject. In the higher areas of study, such as Ph.D. and corporate research, scientists would be working to innovate and find new theories, inventions, and discoveries on-field and on-site daily. As new discoveries are made, these findings are published and immediately imparted onto incoming students in the undergraduate field. The undergraduate students would then take on the work, grow into their higher degrees and continue the cycle of development in the field of science.

It would work continuously like that. My major criticism of the entire field of the study of science and technology is that it is completely impersonal, excluding the few innovators who learn to mix work with play and fall in love with discovery. How many students in our colleges can we say will become a Jane Goodall, Neil Degrasse Tyson, or Stephen Hawking? These men and women take to their career in a passionate and personal way that needs to be highlighted and showcased. These individuals set the example for not only scientists, but also individuals who have found an invigorating career experience that provides not only fulfillment for the individual themselves, but also a drive and desire that fuels the fire for better results in the field and for the progression of the field as a whole.

We need to have a seamless, free-flowing system. Students seeking a Bachelor’s Degree in arts need to be working full time, honing and developing their skills from freshman to sophomore levels. They should have rigorous study in classical and modern theory. By the time they reach junior and senior levels they should be developing some form of portfolio or resume of completed arts works. As they reach Masters levels, they should be actively influencing the modern field of art as we know it. The same goes for the field of science, they should be trained to influence the field that they are studying in. Their research, essays, performances, etc., should be publicly noticed by the media. Students who are still in the freshman and sophomore levels will be exposed to the works of master level artists in their field and will be taught their methods and skills through various workshops and lectures.

In order to expose the world to new developments in the innovation of arts and technology, we need support from businesses. The creative world and the business world have clashed for many years, but it’s time to find middle ground. We need a business group that is interested in funding, producing and distributing works from major artistic contributors who want to revolutionize the industry. Instead of selling the same cut-and-dry pop music scheme, where many artists rise and fall, why not sign legendary artists who stand the test of time? After all, legends such as Elvis, Bob Marley, and Lynyrd Skynyrd have changed the face of music forever. My appeal to businesses is that their earnings will be made—but more important is the growth and development of an entirely new face of American culture. American technology is just as important. If we want to see America take the lead in global technological advancement, we need to be seeking passionate and creative innovators, not a progressive groupthink tank that spits out whatever feeds the current trend. Innovators in art and science are the future of a revolutionary cultural development the world has yet to see.

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About the Creator

Tyler Norris

I'm an author who loves whiskey and good conversation. I have two books of poetry and love meditation and spirituality. You can find me on Facebook as Tyler Norris, Author and on Instagram as @collegpoet64.

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