Should universities allocate more funds toward enhancing their physical infrastructure rather than recruiting exceptional faculty? (education)
☆Let’s Think
1. Why do
people go to university?
2. For
what purpose does the university exist?
3. What is
physical infrastructure of a university?
4. What
does exceptional faculty mean?
Notes:
-
In general, people go to university to
learn what they are really interested in. They are also interested to equip
themselves with knowledge and skills to lead a better life in terms of their work
and private life.
-
Purposes of universities are mainly two: research
and education.
-
Physical infrastructure of a university includes
those not only for studies but also for students such as shuttle bus services, cafeteria.
dormitories, and gyms.
-
Exceptional faculty is a group of
professors who have made breakthroughs in research and development.
☆Hints for Points
Physical infrastructure
1.
The grade of the facilities determines the
research results in some areas while physical infrastructure and the faculty
are interdependent in institutional performance.
2.
Most students do not care if their
professors are not the best as long as they are good enough to teach them.
Rather, they prefer to have the best environment for their college life.
3.
These days, universities as a business
need to invest in enrollment, and university ranking is determined by various
factors. College-bound students who are purely interested in the subject they are
going to major in and choose a university with renowned professors in the field
of their interest are minorities. A larger percentage of them want to pursue a quality
life rather than academic success and are more concerned with the facilities
related to their college life than the professors. They may choose the universities
by the appearances of the buildings, easy access, and safety. Individual
interests may also affect the decisions. For example, students who are to live
away from home might take good dormitory facilities into consideration.
Students who enjoy sports would check out good sporting facilities.
Exceptional faculty
1.
If prioritizing physical infrastructure
than exceptional faculty is based on the idea that university is a business and
thus its purpose is to make profits, I cannot agree with it because in my
understanding university exists to promote and protect studies. Spending more
money on facilities than on hiring good professors for profits is putting the
cart before the horse.
2.
The main purpose of a university is
research and education. Profits should be the last of its priority. Although
reality may put pressure on allocating more of its budget to other factors than
hiring high-quality professors, if it gives in, it is not really entitled to be
called higher education. Instead of trying to increase its capital by
attracting many applicants, a university should support its academic activities
with distinguished professors. University officers focused on short-term
profits should reaffirm their responsibility in protecting freedom of
university, and governments must subsidize universities so that they don’t have
to pursue immediate financial outcome.
3.
Good research and teaching cannot be done
without a good brain that can manage the infrastructure. Although university
should provide a good environment so that professors can do research without
worrying about funding, good facilities cannot be utilized without good
researchers. For example, abundant information that sophisticated machines can
provide is useless without a person who knows how to use machines and how to
interpret the information.
4.
Remarkable professors will contribute to fundamental
researches and practical appliances, contributing to the development of society.
They protect, improve, and increase the knowledge of the community.
5.
Outstanding professors are not only
top-level researchers but also very good teachers, who are skilled and
inspiring mentors. They instill students with inquiry, critical thinking, and
high moral. They are some of the best, or at least most interesting, minds
students meet in their whole lives: human beings with extraordinary brains and
often unforgettable personalities. It is professors that raise the next
generation of researchers and well-educated citizens that support important
studies.
☆Sample
Answer for Ideas and Expressions
【Supporting Details】Physical facilities deteriorate
through use and become outdated over time. Especially in science studies, facilities
for experiments, observations, and data analysis are crucial. Some universities
even have a set of equipment that is one of the few existing in the world. Such
facilities are expensive and cost much to maintain. The humanities also need
good facilities for various purposes. History departments need to preserve old
documents and artifacts, which require intensive cares like temperature control
and mold prevention. Language departments need audio machines for aural
training. After all, all university departments need a large and latest
computing and data storage system.
【Counterargument-treatment】It is true that distinguished
professors are extremely inspiring and utilize the facilities to the full.
However, all professors are good enough to teach students and use the
facilities. Star professors, on the other hand, seldom teach undergraduates.
Moreover, breakthroughs depend on good luck rather than genius when professors
in the same field are collaborating to pursue the same goal these days. Great
discoveries and inventions occur when systematic shared work is conducted. It
would be great if your university makes a discovery of the century, but the
success is attributed to all universities that have cooperated for the
breakthrough rather than your university alone.
【Conclusion】Therefore, state-of-the-art
facilities are always in demand and their installation should be in priority
rather than having outstandingly good professors no matter how attractive it is.
(283 words)
DRAFT
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