A Degree of Disappointment

This may be my last post for a while, as I'm going on vacation tomorrow and still need to finish preparing for the trip. I may still make the odd comment around teh Internetz, but actual posting will likely be very sparse. So I'm glad that it's a good one today, as I reprint for you my latest published letter in the National Post.

Re: Hollow Halls of Academe, April 28. It was disheartening to read about the extent of the decay of academia in Canada in Saturday’s Post. I completed my graduate studies in political science at Dalhousie University last year and, by your coverage, I would almost think that my personal learning experience was an anomaly.
While earning good grades was important, the search for greater knowledge and understanding of Canadian and international politics was always my top priority. Learning more of the ins and outs of my discipline is more important to me than the credentials that I achieve, as that perspective and insight will do more for me in my life than the piece of paper that came at the end of my studies.
I hope that university graduates will change their mindset so that they seek career work based on merit they have earned rather than the credentials they have been accorded. Developing real skills and talents should be valued higher than the ability to go through the motions to receive a desired letter grade. When you aim for the former, the degree becomes the symbol of your achieved potential rather than an end in and of itself. Richard McAdam, M. A., Halifax.