Mark Edmundson Liberal Education Analysis

In “On the Uses of a Liberal Education” Mark Edmundson, cleverly defines his opinion of college education in today’s world. Most notably how education has changed from subjects, which were, previously viewed as essential; have faded away as colleges and universities turn into business selling a product: “Before they (the students) arrive, we ply the students with luscious ads guaranteeing a cross between summer camp and lotus land” (331). Edmundson speaks not only of colleges turning into a business, but also how the students themselves have changed, sharing how when speaking with his students he is careful in selecting his words to ensure students will not be offended (330). He as many other professors fear that a single student could destroy …show more content…
Remarking that campuses everywhere are looking more like a retirement community for the young, filled with new amenities like decked out recreation centers filled with the best and newest equipment (327). These renovations as Edmundson puts it are “needed to attract the best (that is, the smartest and richest) students” (328). By attracting more students, the school gets more money, the money is then used for more renovations to attract even more students, an endless cycle of renovating and making money. Schools must do this in order to stay afloat in the competitive market. He continues to mention how much solicitation occurs, starting in the junior year of high school, they begin to market. From experience, I can say for several months I received mail from countless colleges, even today in my second year of college I still find an occasional letter asking me to go and spend money at their school. Edmunson put it best: “Colleges don’t have admissions offices anymore, the have marketing departments” (328). I find this horrifying, but I know it is correct. The main goal of colleges is no longer education; rather it is to make money. With proper advertising colleges can convince students to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for their education, when there are other schools without the “brand” for a fraction of the cost, while being of equal quality. Colleges are no longer places to …show more content…
From the sheep like students, who want to be noticed as little as possible, to the conversion of colleges from a place of education to a place of revenue. College has slowly turned into a retirement community for young adults, to shield them from the harsh reality for as long as