Education Abroad at UK: What’s the BIG idEA?
Janet Roccanova‚ Ph.D.
Dr. Janet Roccanova was born and raised in Lexington‚ Kentucky and received her Bachelor’s‚ Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Philosophy from the University of Kentucky. She first studied abroad in 1985 on a UK College of Architecture program and has since traveled extensively-20 countries on five continents‚ including living for a year in Chile. She became the Director of Education Abroad and Exchange Programs at the University of Kentucky in February of 2006.
The BIG idea is that you and I are very small. We are an infinitesimal fraction of the earth’s current population of 6‚565‚793‚849 (as of May 30‚ 2006‚ 9:37 am‚ eastern time zone). Just pause for a moment and really try to get a grasp of what that number represents…. Each one of those 6‚565‚793‚847 other folks are doing‚ feeling‚ thinking or dreaming something at this very moment.
We have a lot in common with our co-inhabitants on the earth. With very few exceptions we all burp‚ yawn‚ laugh and occasionally get the hiccups. Almost everyone eats and drinks‚ dresses and undresses‚ learns and forgets‚ cares and fears‚ imagines and hopes. And on top of this amazing foundation of shared traits and actions are the most fascinating differences in how we do these common actions and their meaning and social context. We almost all speak‚ but we speak approximately 6‚800 different languages. We use our bodies to communicate as well‚ but each gesture and expression has a different meaning in different cultures and subcultures.
What is a Professor at a Research University?
By Dr. Philipp Kraemer‚ Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education‚ University of Kentucky
Educators like to emphasize the continuous nature of formal education; it begins before kindergarten and extends through college and sometimes beyond. Although there is value in seeing education as a continuous process‚ it is also clear that there are some key points along the continuum where students experience profound changes that are unlike anything that has come before. None of these instances is more dramatic than the transition from high school into college‚ especially for students enrolled at large research universities.
Of the many changes students confront‚ one of the most dramatic is the difference between high school teachers and university professors. Understanding how professors differ from high school teachers and knowing what makes professors tick can be a great asset to the success of a first-year student.
To understand more about professors‚ it is first necessary to understand the nature of a research university. There are nearly 4‚000 American colleges and universities. Of those‚ only 151 are classified as Research Extensive Universities. These universities offer a wide range of baccalaureate degrees and confer 50 or more doctoral degrees across at least 15 different disciplines each year. In addition‚ each of these universities has an explicit mission‚ usually mandated by state government‚ to advance research and creativity through the work of professors. Everything from the curriculum to facilities and institutional organization reflects this mission‚ and so too do the responsibilities of university professors.
