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孕育人文主义教育的氛围——观普林斯顿毕业典礼有感 精选

已有 20644 次阅读 2012-7-6 23:33 |系统分类:观点评述| 教育, 未来, 普林斯顿, education, 大学毕业

65号,我作为家长参加了普林斯顿大学的毕业典礼。初夏的朝阳穿过浓密的树叶,将草地涂抹得色彩艳丽胜过梵高的油画。4号夜间刚下过一场大雨,清新的空气随微风轻轻飘拂。整个校园洋溢着欢庆的气氛;在每个角落,都可以见到年轻的男女,穿着嵌着橙色条纹的黑色学位袍。他们戴着不同颜色的帽子,用以区分不同的学院和学位(学士、硕士、博士)。欢笑、握手与拥抱,告别、祝贺与希望,演讲、表演与聚会,所有这一切谱写了一曲成就与欢乐的交响乐——这些年轻人达到了人生中一个重要的里程碑。亲朋好友们忙着拍照,为他们所爱的人感到骄傲,为这些年轻人从这所世界著名的学府成功毕业而骄傲……

毕业典礼仪式在普利斯顿大学最古老的建筑Nassau 大厅前的草坪上举行。不同级别的学生代表作了简单的致辞。为本科生和研究生授予学位非常温馨。在六个获得荣誉博士学位的人中,我对黑人歌手艾瑞莎·富兰克林印象特别深,她被誉为“灵歌王后”。她是一个成就出众的女性,她擅长灵歌、爵士、摇滚、蓝调、流行音乐和福音音乐。在人权运动中,她的灵歌音乐曾激励着一代人追求自由和平等。1968年,她在父亲挚友马丁·路德·金的葬礼上献歌,她也在美国总统卡特(1977)、克林顿(1993)、奥巴马(2009)的就职典礼上歌唱过。她获的荣誉包括国家艺术奖章、第21届格莱美奖、乔治·布什颁发的总统自由奖章。滚石杂志将她评委“历史上最伟大的100名歌手”的第一名。我和她仅有的一点联系可能就是20112月,我参加观看了她在马里兰州罗克维尔市斯特拉斯莫尔音乐中心的爵士音乐会。还有就是高兴地看到我的朋友John D,引领着富兰克林去领取荣誉音乐博士学位。

毕业典礼上最令人难忘的,还是普林斯顿大学校长雪利·蒂尔曼女士的演讲。她是一位成就斐然的分子生物学家、一位具远见卓识的科学领导者和一位非常善于激励人心的教育家。蒂尔曼博士一直是我非常尊重和敬佩的女士,她的教育理念对我的一些观点产生过很大影响,包括如何培养自己的孩子和影响下一代、中国的教育改革、甚至对人生的看法。蒂尔曼在演讲中赞扬普林斯顿大学在美国经济不景气的背景下坚持人文主义教育,批评了近来由佛罗里达州长Rick Scott 和哈佛大学前校长Larry Summers所推崇的“目标导向”教育。她用普林斯顿校友、美国国父之一詹姆斯·麦迪逊的传奇故事,来阐述自己的观点:

 “詹姆斯·麦迪逊1769年秋从家乡维吉尼亚进入普林斯顿大学,……他埋首于拉丁语、希腊语、哲学、自然科学、地理学、数学和修辞学,尤其积极参加辩论……在两年内完成大学所需的课程后,他有些困惑,不知道自己下一步该如何走……于是,他接受了普林斯顿大学学生惯用的传统——拖延。他说服了当时的校长 John Witherspoon允许他在学校继续学习一年希伯来语和政治哲学。因此,他成了普林斯顿大学首位(非正式的)研究生。一年过去后,他仍然不知道自己想做什么。于是他去旅行,之后又在父母家住了四年……”

最终,他找到了自己的人生所求——加入爱国者事业,成为一名领袖,致力于建立一个自由独立的国家。他起草了许多最重要的文件,引导美国走到了今天……我最喜爱的故事是关于麦迪逊1789年帮助华盛顿起草首任总统就职演说的事。华盛顿拒绝使用一位朋友准备的73页的演讲草稿,而请麦迪逊重新写了一份。华盛顿用这份演讲稿国会联席会议做了非常精彩的演讲。演讲如此成功,国会决定应该做一份回应。他们也找了麦迪逊起草这份回应。对国会的回应,华盛顿非常感动,觉得应该写一封信致谢国会。毫无疑问,你想得到——他请麦迪逊起草了这份感谢信。所以,这些总统和国会早期交流,其实是麦迪逊和麦迪逊的公开对话。”

蒂尔曼称麦迪逊在普林斯顿大学获得的人文主义教育,使他成为了一名有远见的思想家、有说服力的演讲家和伟大的作家。“跟随Witherspoon的学习,使得麦迪逊能够深入地思考建国思想,这些思想从古希腊文化延伸到苏格兰启蒙思想。它们造就了麦迪逊的领导才能,训练了它缜密的辩论能力,深化了他的道德观,磨练了他的写作和演讲技巧。所有这些对他在政治生涯中的成功都是至关重要的。”

当然,人文主义教育不是唯一有价值的教育形式。教育系统的多样性将会满足社会的不同需求。然而,蒂尔曼强调说,美国要在21世纪引领世界,顶尖大学就需要培养一些热爱历史、文学、语言、文化以及科学技术的领袖。“他们需要保持对世界的好奇,广泛接触信息,独立思考,并能够理解和同情他人……”

聆听蒂尔曼演讲,不禁使我想到了中国的高等教育。在如今追逐快速成功和眼前利益的社会里,大学在为社会培养“有用”人才方面面临的压力逐渐增大。学生(以及父母们)仅仅对能够快速找到高新职位的专业感兴趣。如今大学里的课程设置过早专业化,而且面太窄,导致培养的人只是技术专才,而不是创新发明家或领袖人物。中国要保持经济的可持续增长,成为真正现代化国家,改革教育体系以培养下一代智识人才,迫在眉睫。许多中国大学已经设定了进军世界一流大学的目标。基于这样的目标,我们的大学教育不应该把学生培养成某一种职业的专业人才,甚至不应培养只从事某种单一事业的人。我们需要一个健全均衡的教育,来提升创新、独立思考和跨学科工作的能力。世界日益变化,我们的学生需要发展学习新事物的能力,来适应千变万幻的世界,迎接新挑战。高等教育不应该只教专业技能,还应帮助学生发掘他们真正的激情和爱好,建立他们的独立人格。我们的大学应该是新思想的发源地,领导全社会走向未来。(科学网 任春晓 梅进 翻译)

 

 

Princeton Commencement – Cultivating liberal arts education

 

It was June 5. As a parent, I attended the Commencement of the Princeton University. Shining through the thick tree leaves, the early summer sun painted the grass an array of colors richer than Van Gogh’s oil on canvas. The light wind brought in fresh air that was purified by the heavy rain from the previous night. The whole campus was filled with festivity. At every corner, you can see young men and women on black gowns with orange stripes, with different colored hoods to symbolize their schools and degrees (bachelors, masters, doctors). Laughter, hand-shakes and hugs; farewells, congras and best wishes; speeches, performances and parties; all these orchestrated a symphony of accomplishments and happiness – a major milestone of their young lives have been achieved. Friends and families were busy taking photos with a great sense of pride that their loved ones are ready to walk out of one of the most prestigious colleges on earth...

The Commencement Ceremony was held in the front lawn of Nassau Hall. There were elegant speeches by the salutatorian, the valedictorian, etc. The awarding of degrees to undergraduate and graduate students was heart-warming. Of the six people who were conferred with honorary doctor’s degree, I was particular drawn to Aretha Franklin, a black singer who was considered the "Queen of Soul". This is an exceptionally accomplished woman whose repertoire includes soul, jazz, rock, blues, pop and gospel. During the civil rights movement, her soul music inspired a new generation to pursue freedom and equality. She sang at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., a close friend of her father, in 1968, as well as multiple inaugural events for Presidents Jimmy Carter (1977), Bill Clinton (1993), and Barack Obama (2009). Her honors include National Medal of Arts, 21 Grammy Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush. Rolling Stone magazine named her No. 1 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time." The only tie that I may have with her was that I attended her jazz concert in Strathmore Music Center in Rockville, MD in February, 2011. I was also happy to see that my friend John Diekman presented Franklin for the conferral of the Honorary Doctor of Music degree at Princeton University.

Of course, the most memorable thing for me was the commencement speech by the Princeton University President, Sherry Tilghman. An accomplished molecular biologist, a visionary scientific leader and an inspirational educator, Dr. Tilghman is someone that I have had great respect and admiration. Her philosophy of education has great resonance in my view of how to bring about my own children and our next generation, education reform in China, and even way of life. In her speech, she championed Princeton’s stand for a liberal arts education in today's difficult economic climate, and criticized a recent trend of “goal-oriented” education promoted by leaders like Florida's Governor Rick Scott and former Harvard University President Larry Summers. Tighlman told a great story of James Madison, a Princeton graduate and one of the founding father of the United States, to make her point:

James Madison arrived at Princeton in the fall of 1769 from his home in Virginia, … immersed himself in Latin and Greek, philosophy, natural science, geography, mathematics, and rhetoric, and actively participated in debate... After completing all his requirements in just two years, he found himself at a loss as to what to do next... So, adopting that time-honored tradition of all Princeton students — procrastination — he persuaded President John Witherspoon to allow him to stay on for a year and continue his studies in Hebrew and political philosophy, thereby becoming Princeton's first, if unofficial, graduate student. At the end of that year, still not knowing what he wanted to do, he journeyed.. and lived with his parents for another four years…

Eventually, he found his calling — he embraced the patriot cause and became a leader in the crusade to found a free and independent nation. He went on to author a number of the most important documents that guide our nation to this day… My favorite story about Madison involves George Washington's first inaugural address in 1789. Washington rejected the 73-page draft prepared by a friend and turned instead to Madison to write the one that he eventually delivered to a joint session of Congress. The speech was such a great success that Congress decided it needed to respond. They asked Madison to draft the response. Washington was so touched by their response that he felt a need to send a thank you note, and, sure enough, you guessed it — he asked Madison to draft it. So these key early exchanges between President and Congress were really Madison talking to Madison in public!

Tilghman argued that the liberal arts education that Madison received at Princeton prepared him as a visionary thinker, a persuasive speaker and a great writer. His studies with Witherspoon gave him the opportunity to grapple with the ideas on which this nation was founded, ideas stretching from ancient Greece to the Scottish enlightenment; they disciplined his ability to marshal and then defend a well-constructed argument; deepened his moral sensibility; and they honed his writing and speaking skills, all of which were critical to his success in public life.

Of course, a liberal education is not the only valuable form of education. The diversity in educational systems will meet various needs of the society. However, Tilghman emphasized that for the United States to be successful in the 21st century, leading universities need to train leaders who are steeped in history, literature, languages, culture, as well as scientific and technological ideas. “They need to be curious about the world, broadly well-informed, independent of mind, and able to understand and sympathize…”. 

I couldn’t help but think about China’s high education while I was listening Tilghman’s speech. In today’s atmosphere of seeking quick success and instant benefits, the universities are under increasing pressure to produce “useful” people for the market today. Students (and their parents) are only interested in majors that could lead to jobs immediately, preferably with high incomes. The current college curricula specialize too early and too narrowly, and produce well-trained technocrats but not innovators or leaders. To sustain the economic growth and to become truly modernized country, there is an urgent need to reform our educational system to train the next generation intellectuals in China. Many universities in China have now set an ambitious goal to become a “world class” university. With that in mind, our college education should not be designed to prepare the students for a specific job or even a single career. We need a well-balanced education to promote innovation, independent thinking and the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries. The world is changing rapidly. Our students need to develop capability to learn new things, to adapt to the changing world, and to take on new challenges. Our high education should not only teach specialized skills and capabilities, but also help students discover their true passion and interests, and build their characters. Our universities should inspire new thinking, and lead the society.

 

 

 



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