In Lieu of a Friday Post

I will be out of town for much of tomorrow, so a Friday post is unlikely. I will be in Bellevue at the Advanced Placement Workshop at Interlake High School. During the summer there are workshops held around the country for high school teachers of the various advanced placement courses. The past few years have seen rapid growth in the comparative politics exam, which is one of the newest tests offered by AP. I have done some work for AP in this area, reviewing materials related to the exam.

Last year I joined the workshop for a short session on teaching methodology, and I offered to come back again this year. No compensation, just trying to do a good turn for other educators.

Alum wins in Supreme Court

Previously we discussed the role that Charles Sipos '94 of Perkins Coie had played in the bringing the case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld before the Supreme Court. The news today is that they have won their case--news coverage here.

Schools Get Skewered

The Department of Education just released a draft report on the state of higher education in the US. Among other points it accuses higher education of being “risk-averse, frequently self-satisfied, and unduly expensive,” and having an “unseemly complacency about the future.” The report argues that academia "has yet to successfully confront the impact of globalization, rapidly evolving technologies, an increasingly diverse and aging population, and an evolving marketplace." In addition, the report criticizes the lack of comparable data on learning outcomes--how much students actually learn from one school to the next.

Needless to say, academic administrators are unhappy with the report, which they see as unfair. Read the report itself here; and some responses here.

Alum Profile: Derek Young '96

Note: Derek mentions his website Exit 133 below. It's a great resource for what's developing in Tacoma, with an emphasis on real estate and urban planning. I read it every day (long before I realized he is one of our alums) and recommend it to anyone who wants to get a sense of how Tacoma is shaping up and where it might go in future.


When did you graduate from UPS?

1996

What have you been doing since graduation?

I have lived the corporate commuter lifestyle while becoming a proponent for all things good in Tacoma. I started working at REI’s corporate headquarters in Kent, Washington a few weeks after graduation. I have formed a few small companies to consolidate some side projects. I’ve run a few marathons and tend to ride my bike to work. I edit a website about Tacoma called Exit133.com. Generally speaking, I’ve stayed busy.

Why and how did you decide to take the career path you did?

There was no planning involved in my career path. I stumbled out of UPS planning on heading back to graduate school in Science & Technology Public Policy. At my first job interview with REI I told the recruiter that I would probably be with the company for two years, then I’d head to graduate school. They hired me anyway. What I found was a great company on the verge of many great years. While I’ve always worked in Information Technology, my job has morphed and changed over the years to keep things interesting. I started as an IT contract negotiator. Nearly ten years and five completely different job titles later, I’m still at REI. Currently I’m an IT Project Manager focusing on merchandising logistics.

I’ll be heading back to school to get a MBA this fall. After two years we’ll see which way my future is pointing.

Are there any aspects of the Politics and Government major or your UPS education in general that have served you particularly well?

I absolutely believe that UPS gave me a unique opportunity to blend majors in a way that was interesting to me and beneficial to my career. Do I synthesize molecules, swab agar, or analyze the economic growth of a nation in my day job? No. And nobody has ever mentioned Fukuyama’s End of History or Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations in one of my meetings. However, I use my UPS Politics and Biology degrees nearly every day. UPS taught me how to put structure around what I think and how I display information. My science degree and TA experience taught me how to communicate to scientific and non-scientific minds. My politics degree taught me about how to interpret disparate data using paradigms and models. By combining the two, I now realize, UPS taught me to think in such a way that I can react and communicate in nearly any situation.

Do you have any advice about what our students should make certain they do (or don’t do!) while still in school?

Travel and/or study abroad for an extended period of time. You’ll discover that there are at least a few other perspectives out there. Plus, it allows your mind to wander.

Take advantage of every public speaking opportunity.

Network! Who you know will get you in the door. Your interview skills, amazing smile, resume, and grades will get you the job.

Take classes outside your major.

Learn another language.

Do you have any advice about what our students should be thinking about as they consider their careers or further education?

Pursue your passions. You’ll be working for a long time. There’s no need to go into something you don’t really like. The same thing goes for graduate school. Don’t start into a program that takes eight years if you aren’t absolutely convinced that it’s what you want to do. You don’t want to be five or six years into a program only to discover you don’t actually like it.

Be flexible. Allow for opportunities.
If you don’t like your situation, change it.
Put life/work balance high on your priority list.

Any other words of wisdom, or important questions I haven’t asked?

Wherever you go after graduation, get involved in the community. Check out the local theatre, farmers market, and museums. Get involved in community organizations. Volunteer with youth or in the local arts organizations. First, this is a networking opportunity to find passionate people. Second, you’ll find personal satisfaction. Become more than just your job.

If you’re passionate about Tacoma, I know of a website you should read…

Tags: alums

• alums

Out and About

I've only done pictures of campus so far, so here's one of the Museum of Glass downtown.

Ned Culhane '06

Freshly minted, Ned Culhane is spending the summer working at the Health and Psychophysiology Lab at Harvard University. He writes that he's "assigned to several studies that investigate the physiological responses to the challenge-threat paradigm. I would tell more but we are supposed to keep the exact details confidential." Ned plans to move to DC this fall and hopes to get a job on Capitol Hill or at the NIH.

Ned was a double major in PG and Psych, though we don't hold that against him.

Teach For America Feedback

There are a couple of interesting comments from alums on their experiences with Teach for America; you can find them at my earlier post on the subject here.

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

2002 saw the founding of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, which is accredited to offer an both an MBA in Sustainable Business and a Certificate in Sustainable Business. BGI looks like an interesting option for those looking for additional schooling with a business-environmental focus. Professor Sherman's work in the Environmental Studies minor on campus and his related community outreach may forge connections between our department and BGI in future; we'll keep you posted.

Read a piece from Business Week on green business practices which discusses BGI here.

Cain Scholarship

There has been a change in the university's Cain Scholarship, which has resided in the School of Business and Leadership. While SBL will continue to administer the scholarship, it will now be opened up to all majors, with an emphasis placed on applicants who wish to pursue a career in public service.

Many thanks to Mark Smith '61 who was instrumental in making this happen.

And who was Harry Cain? A mayor of Tacoma and former US Senator. Read a short biography here.

Update: Mark Smith has a posted an interesting comment below with much more on Harry Cain's life and work.

Strategy and Benefits

Good piece in the Wall Street Journal for those entering the marketplace on making smart decisions about employer medical benefits, flexible spending accounts, and saving through a 401(k).

Gateway

It came to my attention from a local blog (run by an alum, but more on that later), that UPS has asked the city to vacate the remaining bit of 15th Avenue west of Alder--the street that runs between the student union and Kittridge Hall. They have requested this to construct a new entrance, which I assume means that the main gate of UPS would sit just at Alder. I know one concern of the university has been that its main "gateway" has not been all that clear or sits inside of campus itself, like Jones Circle, having been surrounded by subsequent development. The campus has certainly grown over time; a couple of good historical perspectives are here and here.

Book Reviews

Professor Weinberger has two interesting reviews of recent books:

The Cold War: A New History, John Lewis Gaddis (New York: The Penguin Press, 2005).

America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy, Francis Fukuyama (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006).

I've just started Fukuyama myself, and recommend it to anyone wanting to understand the differences and divisions among conservatives, neo-conservatives, realists and all those other terms bandied about in foreign policy. I find the historical overview of many of these ideas particularly fascinating.

The Dilemma of Delay

There's a nice piece in Inside Higher Ed on what the author calls Watson's Syndrome: a "continuing and persistant avoidance" of doing the actual task set before you. While the author confines his diagnosis to those in graduate school who never finish their dissertations, I have certainly seen it apply to students and in the business world as well. The article is tongue in cheek, but worth reading--and there are several comments from readers afflicted with this illness. The first step is to admit you have a problem...

OAR in the Lead

Our UPS alums at Ocean Adventure Racing NW are showing their true college spirit in their row across the Atlantic--they've got a lead ahead of the competition by over 100 miles. See for yourself: their boat is the James Robert Hansen.

BTW, they are looking for support to help ship their boat home once they make it to England, so if you've got a few bucks to spare you can donate here; and half the money goes to the American Lung Association.

Incognito alums

One of our alums is currently in law school and spending his summer working as a law clerk. He and some of his cohorts, scattered across the country, have set up a blog to document their disparate experiences.

Favorite post to date:
"I swear the entire federal government is run by people under 30."

Read about their adventures here.

Educators, study abroad

The Department of Education's Fulbright-Hays program has a series of summer programs available to primary, secondary and post-secondary teachers, administrators and librarians to such places as Australia, Argentina and Uruguay, India, China, Morocco, Mali, Hungary and Jordan, among others. Four to six weeks, and the vast majority of the tab paid for by Fulbright. If you're a teacher at any level, check it out:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpssap/sapfacts.html

Rachel Martin '96

I recently heard from Rachel Martin '96. She writes:

"I am a foreign correspondent with National Public Radio, currently based in Berlin but I have worked in and out of Afghanistan for the past three years. I am moving to DC for a few months to work at NPR HQ but will still be covering foreign affairs. I'd be pleased to correspond with any students interested in learning about the flexibility of a P&G degree and the places it can take you."

I know of several students/alums who are interested in journalism, so if you want to get in contact with Rachel drop me a note and I'll pass it along to her.

Here's a recent piece of hers on the World Cup and racism in Germany.

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• alums

Chihuly in Wyatt Hall

Politics and Government has its offices in Wyatt Hall, one of the more recent buildings on campus (if I recall properly, before Wyatt there had been no major construction for several decades). As you enter Wyatt the main atrium has a collection of Dale Chihuly's glass works. Some love his work, others less so. I like it, personally--which is good, because it's all over Tacoma.

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• campus

The Internationalist

This student magazine based in Seattle was originally founded by students at UPS. At graduation a couple of years back they took their project with them and have been spreading the word far and wide on college campuses across the US. They have also joined forces with the Roosevelt Institution, a national student think-tank.

Professor Weinberger in our department is one of their guest bloggers (though I don't know how he feels about how they have rendered him), and I serve on their board. An impressive publication, and another example of something I wouldn't have dared to do at their age--or, come to think of it, at my age. I guess that's why I'm an academic--the model profession for the risk-averse.

The Internationalist

Oh and students, why not intern there?

Teach for America

We've had a number of grads do Teach for America and I've heard good things about the experience. It also reminds me that I wouldn't have undertaken such a challenge when I graduated from college, which makes it all the more impressive. There was an interesting piece about the program in the papers lately:

It's the strongest job market in years for new college graduates, with salaries and perks rising accordingly. But one of the country's hottest recruiters this spring promised low wages, exhausting labor and just a brief break before work begins.

Teach for America is surging in popularity. At sites around the country, the 17-year-old nonprofit has begun training about 2,400 recent graduates for two-year teaching stints in disadvantaged schools, nearly triple the figure in 2000.

Read the whole thing here.

Any Teach for America folks out there who can comment on their experiences?