Letters to Students: What It Means to Be a College Graduate

Through a series of letters to college students, two former university presidents speak to the rich and varied purposes of college and how it prepares one to live a full and successful life.Letters to Students discusses the meaning of higher education for the individual and society, offering advice on navigating the college experience, on life and work, careers, the meaning of success, the role of creativity, leadership, citizenship, compassion, and leaving a legacy.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Acknowledgements Preface Introduction 1. Living a Life of Success 2. Getting the Most Out of College 3. Finding and Using Your Voice 4. Don't Listen! 5. What So Great About the Liberal Arts? 6. Syllabus for Your Life 7. How Do We Know What We Think We Know? 8. Let Your Life Speak. 9. How Should I Serve Others? 10. Who Do You Want to Be? 11. Trust Yourself! 12. Choices and Decisions 13. Why Diversity Matters 14. What You Say Matters 15. Being an Effective Leader 16. Developing Leadership Skills 17. Finding and Feeding your Creativity 18. Finding the Job of the Future 19. Preparing for Work, Not Just a Job 20. What is Your Real Job? 21. Voting is an Act of Choice 22. Thinking Globally, Acting Locally 23. Acting as a Guest on the Planet 24. Being a Pilgrim in Life Not a Tourist 25. Change is the Only Constant 26. Mentors Matter 27. Being a Connoisseur of Knowledge. 28. Being Good Not Great 29. The Gift of a College Degree 30. Navigating the Passage Through College About the Authors

About the Author :
Dr. Drew Bogner is President Emeritus and Professor of Education at Molloy University where he served as President for 20 years. He earned a BS from Newman University where he served as Student Government President and later as a Professor, Dean, and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Drew served in leadership roles with the NCAA and as Interim President of CICU, the advocacy group for New York private higher education. He holds a PhD from Kansas University. Dr. Robert A. Scott is President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Adelphi University, where he served from 2000 to 2015. He is President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he served from 1985-2000. He earned his BA at Bucknell University, where he was active in student government, and his PhD at Cornell University, where he became a dean responsible for student advising. He is still in touch with former students at both institutions.

Review :
“Bogner and Scott provide a unique perspective on the current debate questioning the value of higher education and affirm the value and positive outcomes of the collegiate experience. Letters to Students: What It Means to Be a College Graduate offers readers a refreshing perspective encouraging them to examine their values and explore how they can create meaningful and impactful lives as they pursue their academic and life goals. Every college student or graduate will be inspired by reading this book.” “Letters to Students: What It Means to Be a College Graduate takes a fresh approach to advising current undergraduates, recent graduates, and their families about the personal goals that can be achieved through a successfully completed undergraduate experience. Bogner and Scott have almost fifty years of combined experience as successful and accomplished higher education leaders and they are well worth listening to regarding their observation that ‘a college degree is, at the most fundamental level, about becoming your best self, becoming much more than a person who does a particular job.’” I’ve recommended Letters to Students: What It Means to Be a College Graduate to a number of people at Cornell and elsewhere. Dr. Scott and Dr. Bogner complement each other nicely, and I admire how their voices remain distinct and distinctive, something essential in a book that celebrates and encourages young people to develop and honor their passions and intellect. From discussions of the practical—how to ask for help—to the ethical, this book is a welcomed primer. Yet most important for me is its high regard for an engaged citizenry: We are not isolates, and when we are we are in crisis. Letters to Students powerfully reminds us that we are interdependent, that our dreams are indissoluble from the dreams of others.