Back to Appendix BBy Stephen Clements and Edward “Skip” Kifer
From Talking Back
p. 71-73, published 2001
Report of the Committee on Higher Education in Kentucky’s Future
Ed Prichard, Chair
Frankfort, Kentucky, 1981
Council on Higher Education
This Committee believes that learning ought to continue throughout one’s lifetime. So that learning might continue, an educated person should master a broad range of competencies:
The educated person must be proficient at advanced levels in certain basic skills: the ability to read and assimilate information, the ability to analyze and formulate concepts and ideas, the ability to use mathematical and fundamental statistical knowledge, and the ability to communicate information and ideas to others in writing and by other means.
An increasingly complex and technical society, with tools such as calculators and computers that superficially make basic skills unnecessary, makes these skills all the more necessary. High levels of proficiency in basic intellectual skills will help eliminate in people the sense of helplessness they sometimes experience in the face of often confusing, complex, and highly technical information.
The educated person must be able to build reasoned generalizations from knowledge and to apply knowledge of specifics and general principles about one area to others.
The abilities to reason from specific information to general principles and to transfer knowledge among areas are at the heart of an individual’s ability to understand society and himself and to function effectively within society.
The educated person must be able to analyze and resolve problems.
A person’s application of intellectual power to meet social and personal needs and to solve technological, social, environmental, and economic issues of the future is achievement at the highest level. However, such achievement requires that one have understanding of social institutions, fundamentals of science and the scientific method, the nature of economic systems and processes, and characteristics of our natural and manmade environment, as well as the sensitivity toward the human condition that is transmitted through humanistic reflection and the study of the arts and literature.
The educated person must have the capacity for introspection and for developing personal values.
Familiarity with and the understanding of ethical and religious concepts and principles, basic philosophical propositions, one’s cultural heritage and place in the stream of history, and tolerance for the ideas of others are at the heart of this capacity. Educated persons should be responsible family members, citizens, and workers.
The educated person must be able to communicate effectively.
The ability to communicate will be challenged by change in our society. Effective communication not only requires traditional verbal and listening skills, but also the ability to communicate complex information both to peers and to those who are less knowledgeable. Failures in communication between the governors and the governed or between the well educated and the less well educated lead to divisions in society.
The educated person must understand his intellectual, cultural, and social heritage and the implications of that heritage.
Without such understanding, individuals are unable to fully understand themselves, their personal heritage, or the society around them. This understanding is fundamental to the development of personal values.
Educated persons should have the skills necessary to support themselves and those dependent upon them and to contribute to the economic well-being of the society.
All of the preceding characteristics provide the foundations for contemporary "economic man," but specific skills directly related to occupations are also essential. However, education in specific occupational skills does not end with the completion of formal education; it must continue throughout a working lifetime. Also necessary is the ability to make informed judgments about the nature of the work that best suits the individual and the ability to understand the relationship of work to other aspects of one’s life.
The educated person should have the desire, curiosity, and ability to continue to learn independently and to stay informed.
The seeds of curiosity, sensitivity to the importance of knowledge, and tolerance for new or unusual ideas must be planted early in life and nurtured throughout. The capacity for independent thought in the face of conventional wisdom requires personal courage, the ability to form and establish personal values, and a personal philosophy.
Educated persons must have the knowledge to effectively manage and improve their personal well-being.
Such knowledge requires basic familiarity with human nature, with emotional and psychological growth, and with the fundamentals of personal health and the human body.
Colleges and universities must not allow their concern with accommodation of student and societal preferences and with varying levels of student ability to divert them from their central purpose, that of helping students become educated persons able to continue to learn and grow.
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
Frankfort, Kentucky, 2000
We ask you to envision a Kentucky in the year 2020 recognized throughout the nation and across the world for having:
Educated citizens who want advanced knowledge and skills and know-how to acquire them; and who are good parents, good citizens, and economically self-sufficient workers.
Globally competitive businesses and industries respected for their highly knowledgeable employees and the technological sophistication of their products and services.
Vibrant communities offering a standard of living unsurpassed by those in other states and nations.
Scholars and practitioners who are among the best in the world, dedicated to creating new ideas, technologies, and knowledge.
Pure and simple, Kentuckians deserve this future. That is why our public leaders have set a goal that puts Kentucky on a path to achieving economic opportunity and a standard of living above the national average in 20 years. The key to achieving this goal is lifelong learning.
A responsive and flexible system of postsecondary education is the most important tool we need to help Kentucky flourish in the early decades of the 21st century. Only through investment in postsecondary education with strong commitment to economic betterment can the Commonwealth and her people reach their full potential.
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