Princeton: Gap Year Trendsetting?
This week Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman announced a plan to create a program to “allow newly admitted undergraduates to spend a year of public service abroad before beginning their freshman year. The program would enable students to pursue a tuition-free, pre-collegiate enrichment year outside their home country with support from the University.”I have often thought about the benefits of a “gap year,” as our friends across the pond call the year between high school and university. A year spent exploring some of the world, rather than learning about it in textbooks, would be a great benefit to those trying to decide on a life’s path. Princeton’s plan to focus program participants on public service, and to help subsidize the year, is even more admirable (and admittedly a privilege that comes with being a wealthy Ivy league school.)
Public service programs are somewhat common in high school. Some states have even taken it to the next level: In 1992, Maryland became the first state to require service learning as a condition of high school graduation. Encouraging students to participate in public service at the local, national, or international level should be the rule, not the exception, and a part of school from kindergarten through college.
Kudos to Princeton for its leadership.
Comments
Agreed; kudos to Princeton. It's been too long since we had an "ask not what your country can do for you" moment.
Somewhat relatedly, check out this article, "The Case for the Draft," calling for mandatory national service from a liberal perspective (http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0503.carter.html). Interesting stuff at the least...
Posted by: Ben Weyl | February 22, 2008 12:02 PM