Benjamin Franklin, who was a founding father of the United States, scientist, and diplomat, once said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." The great thing about knowledge is that no one can take it from you, and that regardless of the economy or the state of government, knowledge will always benefit you. In their article, "Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission," Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus explore whether the knowledge gained from Universities, is worth the price. In doing this, they list several things colleges should be doing right, and then tell of some universities they feel are, "doing their job well." This article compared Delta State University, to the several other Universities.
Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus start out their article by offering harsh critiques of colleges for, "taking on too many roles and doing none of them well." Ironically, this is something that Delta State University prides itself on, and tries to include in their brand. I feel confident saying this, as they point out that they have many unique programs on their own website. I am of two minds about the authors' claims that Universities try to do too much. On one hand, I agree that spreading yourself thin is rarely a good thing. Delta State has many different programs that are not very profitable. However, I like having a lot of unique programs such as the Delta Music Institute, and the GIS center, they give Delta State character. Also, I don't think having a lot of programs is necessarily bad, it doesn't quite get to the heart of the matter. .
The authors' next point is that universities should, "engage all students." I agree that all students should be engaged, a point that needs emphasizing. So many people in universities believe that when you're in college, the professors don't care about how the students are doing, they are just there to teach.