Bank on What College Delivers, Not What Apprentice Presents

by David E. Drew, in the Detroit Free Press (March 24, 2005)

In a recent editorial in the Detroit Free Press, David E. Drew discusses the issues raised by the third season of NBC's The Apprentice, which began by pitting a college-educated team with "book smarts" against a team of non-college-grad businesspeople with "street smarts." Drew, who holds the Platt Chair in Education and Management at the Claremont Graduate University, notes that the framing of the show has called attention to--and called into question--the benefits of college education: "who is better equipped for professional life, someone with a solid education or street cred?"

To fully understand the implications of this question, Drew argues, one must consider data about the benefits of a college education. He points out that college graduates make more money on average than nongraduates, and that the skills developed through a college education are increasingly valued by employers. "In an economy where those entering the workforce can expect multiple jobs and careers over their lifetime," Drew writes, "learning how to learn, and critical thinking--both staples of the undergraduate education--have become more important than learning a particular occupation." A liberal arts education has less tangible benefits, too, providing graduates with "a better quality of life" by exposing them to diverse ideas and experiences. Regardless of what happens on The Apprentice, Drew concludes, "what students gain from a college education can make them winners in the business world and will enrich their lives in many other ways."

The full text of David Drew's editorial is available online.