Thursday, September 6, 2001

Quality of professors needs improvement

The editorial, “New Growth: Focus should be prestige, not size,” found in the Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001 edition of the TCU Daily Skiff raised some very interesting points about academic life at TCU. I agree that over the years the academic integrity of our school is partially a result of the low student-faculty ratio. Unfortunately, this TCU standard has been stressed so much we have lost the basic need for a decent professor. Thus, a logical solution may appear to be to increase admissions standards. However, I would contend that our concern should be to increase the quality of our professors, faculty and staff, rather than a focus on an enrollment cap.

TCU continuously flaunts the mission statement and throws it in our face: “To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community.” Ironically, the university’s goal falls short of its means to achieve this desired end.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that the effective education of the student body can occur without dedication to properly train competent teachers. In each academic department I rarely see each staff member ready to take on the mission that defines TCU. Instead, we are expected to sit back and listen to the mumbled explanation of a textbook that we are capable of reading ourselves. I am not looking for a radical transformation. I am only looking for someone to bring me outside of the box of “traditional” education that TCU prides itself on.

— Sean McGaughey
senior speech communication major