Learning as a Champion: The Engaged Student

This book provides a candid and inside look at how students can place themselves in a more positive position with colleges. We know that education must change but most important, that change must include an understanding by students and their parents on how they must demand that chances occur that drives real value to the student. This can no longer be about delivering courses to students but about delivering right programs that ensure long term life success. College requires a substantial investment of money and a considerable amount of perspiration. It is essential that students make the most of this opportunity. This is true in part because of the cost, but even more importantly, because of the growing need to be better prepared for a fast paced changing world. A question that should be asked before any person heads off to college is whether they are properly prepared to succeed. Serving in education as a teacher, administrator, college president and university chancellor, I rarely found a student who could not intellectually make the grade to graduation. However, in spite of that ability, many did drop out of school in the first year. Sometimes in the first term. I became concerned when, so many times, we failed to serve the people who only weeks or months before had such hope for their future. New students started with such excitement, dedication and optimism. What happened that dashed those hopes? Through conversations with students that did drop out, I discovered one of the most common reasons that they were unsuccessful. They were just not prepared to be an effective student in several critical areas. Some of those areas included: time mastery, project management, the art of discipline, the ability to plan, the ability to set priorities and choose from among alternatives and the meaning of commitment. I also found another significant reason that contributed to their lack of success. Many seemed to run out of motivation because they had no long term objective. They had not planned their life so college was a means to an end rather than an end game. Often, it was as if they were building a house focused only on the hammer! Students need to see college as a transformation process that moves them from where they are to where they desire to be at some point in the future. College must be viewed as a means to an end not an end unto itself. As one athletic coach explained, "it is easy to change the plan to something else if you need to, but it is difficult to win with no plan at all!" Many enter college with no life plan at all! The lack of skills, preparation and planning in these areas caused the student to fall behind in their studies and, as a result, they became academically in danger of failing. It was not because they did not have the intelligence to succeed. It was because they did not have the skills and discipline to keep up. They did not have a plan for the future so rather than being motivated by attitude about the future, they were only motivated by fear and incentive neither of which work to achieve long term results. This book is written to help those students and families of students who are concerend about the upcoming years in college. It is designed to help them build successful skills that will move them in the right direction. Certainly, it is recognized that they must not stop with just working through this book. It is hoped that this book will be a catalyist to a new way of learning and through that a brighter future.

About the Author :
Larry G. Patten has spent many years in education. His career began as a teacher at a community college teaching English, speech and business practices. Later he taught electronics for three years. He then transferred to college administration at the community college and developed some of the fist distant learning and individualized instructional programs in the country. In 1981, he became President of a public television network. He then became a vice chancellor of another community college, president of a career college and finally chancellor of a University. Mr. Patten is no stranger to the private sector. As a sophomore in high school, He began his first business making phonograph records for schools and churches. He has also served as vice president of a leading telecommunications company and serving as president of a radio group. He retired from his chancellor position at the university in 2008. Since then he has been serving as President of World Leadership Institute an organization he founded in 1997 with the help of his son. He is now engaged helping individuals and organizations produce positive and sustainable success toward desired outcomes.