Reply to Should LACs no longer be considered the model of excellence?

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[quote=Anonymous]I'm not going to be shallow and say that every single LAC is better than every single university in terms of educational quality. There are some very good ones out there that are easily comparable- Dartmouth, Rice. But in general- LACs do offer a better education. And there's a single good reason for that. The faculty are hired primarily for teaching potential, not research potential (as the universities do). There's an interesting article that I don't completely agree with in its premise, but it has a very example of how the search process differs: https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/colleges-that-are-probably-better-than-harvard/

"Perhaps the stark difference between the commitment to undergraduate teaching at Pomona and Harvard is best illustrated in the two school’s own words. In a recent job posting for an instructor in Physics and Astronomy, Pomona declared that “candidates must have a strong commitment to high-quality undergraduate teaching in a liberal arts environment, and those with significant teaching experience are especially encouraged to apply.” Compare this to a recent Harvard posting for an instructor in the Life Sciences, which emphasized skills around “supervising and training a staff of approximately 30 teaching fellows, as well as a team of undergraduates who run weekly help sessions.”

I'm not going to deny the importance of hiring advanced researchers, as well as the education impact they have. The textbooks and materials LACs use will likely come from the leading researchers at all sorts of universities. But how much does it really mean to hear those teachings directly from the source- who may not be good at communicating those ideas to a diverse group of students- than from one who has considerable experience in doing so?

If your point in attending college is gaining a singular practical education, by all means, do so. I agree that going to an LAC is not the best fit. If your purpose is to gain a broad education that will position you well into just about anything (see- Williams http://www.thecollegesolution.com/a-look-at/), a LAC will offer better teaching in general. Are LACs the only schools that can provide that? Obviously not. I hold honor programs at State U's to great reputation for providing an affordable LAC-like experience. But in general, the quality of teaching is higher at a LAC than at a university. [/quote]

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