"We might think that Americans are eager to celebrate talented young people who can thumb their noses at the older generation and thus exorcise the lingering resentment so many harbor from being graded and evaluated in the classroom. But what 'American Idol' reveals instead is a veritable hunger for realistic evaluation. Time and time again, contestants in the early episodes of this year's season whine obviously off key and then insist they are highly talented—in spite of the judge's protestations. Most of those kids have not learned how to sing, but they have mastered the self-esteem and 'attitude' so valued in our culture. The persistent dynamic of these episodes is expertise putting down untalented braggadocio. In a world full of people rating themselves highly, audiences seem to long for the enforcement of standards of taste and judgment."
—Christopher Ames, Provost and Dean of the College, writing "Schooled by 'American Idol'," The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 16, 2007 (the piece subsequently appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times and was excerpted in the Wall Street Journal)
"At Washington College in Chestertown, the 'George Goes Green' campaign is in full swing again this year. The brainchild of senior Shannon Holste, the campaign organizes a competition among dorms to see which uses the least energy.... Some of the environmental effort has been directed at seeing to it that the green movement does not fade as students graduate."
—"Students Add Conservation to Curriculum," Washington Post, March 11, 2007
"As our leaders face a worsening situation and calls for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq grow louder, we should remember the lessons of 1975. President Gerald Ford put his political capital on the line to rescue some 130,000 Vietnamese.... 'The refugees have proven themselves to be hard-working and industrious people with a thirst for education,' Ford told the nation. 'The warmth and generosity that have characterized the welcome that Americans have given to the refugees serve as a reaffirmation of American awareness of the roots and the ideals of our society.' If the Bush administration is prepared to reaffirm those ideals Ford so eloquently evoked, it should extend a similar welcome in 2007."
—Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and John R. Bohrer '06, writing "As Iraqi Refugees Flee, Let's Not Forget Vietnam," USA Today, January 30, 2007
"Washington College, in Chestertown, Md., offers a presentation for potential legacy applicants and their parents during every homecoming weekend, when alumni with children are likely to be on the campus.... Washington College... sends out an annual email message to its entire alumni contact list, asking for the names and ages of their children...."
—The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses alumni-oriented recruitment methods; "When Legacies Are a College's Lifeblood," January 19, 2007
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