2018普林斯頓大學(xué)校長畢業(yè)演講：高等教育價值多樣化!

當比爾蓋茨退學(xué)、喬布斯曠課等世界名人傳記，被廣為流傳之后，一股奇怪的風氣在社會蔓延，有些專欄作家或博客作者，他們在一些文章中宣傳“讀書無用論，現(xiàn)在的大學(xué)生太多了，不用上大學(xué)”或“大學(xué)生畢業(yè)回報率低”等等言論...針對這種情況，普林斯頓大學(xué)校長在2018年畢業(yè)典禮的演講致辭中，對這種觀念，進行了正面反擊。

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2018普林斯頓大學(xué)校長的原話：

You have completed a demanding course of study. It will transform your life   in many ways. It will expand the range of vocations you can pursue, increase   your knowledge of the world, deepen your capacity to appreciate societies and   cultures, and provide a foundation for lifelong learning.

不管是不是站在這個臺上，我感到非常榮幸也非常高興能夠站在你們面前致辭，所有今天畢業(yè)的同學(xué)們，你們完成了一件非常重要且值得慶祝的事情，你們完成了學(xué)科課程的要求，這將在很多方面改變你的生活，它將擴大的你的擇業(yè)范圍，增加你對世界的認知，加深你理解社會文化的能力，并為終身學(xué)習提供基礎(chǔ)。

So we celebrate here on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall, as do other college   communities in courtyards, auditoria, arenas, and stadia around the country.   Graduates toss caps in the air and professors applaud. Families cheer and holler   enthusiastically. Yet, even as we do so, we see a strange trend from columnists,   bloggers, think tanks, and politicians. In essays, books, and speeches, some of   them suggest that too many students are earning college degrees.

因此，我們聚集在這里，在 Nassau   Hall(普林斯頓大學(xué)最古老的建筑)前的草坪上慶祝。其他大學(xué)也都在他們的庭院、禮堂、舞臺和體育場內(nèi)舉行慶?；顒樱厴I(yè)生們將帽子拋向天空，教授們在鼓掌，家人們在熱情歡呼，盡管我們都是這么做的，但我們?nèi)园l(fā)現(xiàn)，社會上有一股奇怪的風氣，這種風氣來自一些專欄作家、博客作者、智庫專家和政客，他們中的一些人在文章書籍和演講里，宣稱很多人其實不用上大學(xué)、大學(xué)生太多了。

Too many college graduates: that is a very odd claim, because the economic   evidence for the value of a college degree is overwhelming. For example, in   2014, economists Jaison Abel and Richard Deitz of the Federal Reserve Bank of   New York estimated the average annual return on investment from a college   degree, net of tuition paid and lost earnings, at between 9 percent and 16   percent per year for a lifetime (1). For the last two decades, the return on   investment has hovered at the high end of that range, around 15 percent per   year.

By comparison, the historical average return on investments in the American   stock market is around 7 percent per year. That is why my friend Morton Shapiro,   the president of Northwestern University and a leading educational economist,   says that for most people, the decision to invest in a college degree will be   “the single best financial decision they make in a lifetime,” even if judged   purely in terms of financial return on investment.

多么奇怪的觀點呀!因為已經(jīng)有經(jīng)濟學(xué)數(shù)據(jù)充分證明了讀大學(xué)的好處。

例如，據(jù)2014年紐約聯(lián)邦儲備銀行的經(jīng)濟學(xué)家Jaison Abel和Richard   Deits的統(tǒng)計，投資一個大學(xué)學(xué)位的平均年回報率扣除學(xué)費和收入損失后大約在9%-16%之間，尤其在過去二十年間，投資回報率一直在該范圍內(nèi)的高位，大約為每年15%。相比之下，歷史上美國股票市場的年平均投資回報率為7%，這就是為什么我的朋友西北大學(xué)校長、教育經(jīng)濟學(xué)家莫頓·夏皮羅(Morton   Schapiro)說：“對于大多數(shù)人來說，投資大學(xué)學(xué)位將是他們一生中做過的最英明的經(jīng)濟決策，即使單從經(jīng)濟回報的角度來說?！?/strong>

A degree conveys many other benefits as well. For example, college graduates   report higher levels of happiness and job satisfaction, even after controlling   for income. College graduates are healthier than non-graduates. They are more   likely to exercise, more likely to vote, and have higher levels of civic   engagement. To these pragmatic considerations we should add the joys that come   with an increased capacity to appreciate culture, the arts, the world’s   diversity, and the inherent beauty of extraordinary ideas.

一個大學(xué)學(xué)位還能帶來很多其他好處，比如，有報告顯示大學(xué)畢業(yè)生們即使在收入不多的情況下，也擁有更高的幸福感和工作滿意度。同時，大學(xué)畢業(yè)的人群要比非大學(xué)畢業(yè)的人群更健康，他們會更多的進行體育鍛煉，更積極的參與投票，有更高層次的公民參與度。如果從實用角度考量的話，我們還應(yīng)該加上那些由于對文化、藝術(shù)、世界多樣性、內(nèi)在美和卓越觀點的理解能力增強而帶來的樂趣。 

正如普林斯頓大學(xué)校長的表述，高等教育的意義，不僅在于投資回報率，這其中，如果加上健康、幸福指數(shù)和生活質(zhì)量等方面的額外收益，是不是遠超過那些沒有接受過高等教育的人群呢?

如果說“讀書無用論”，那為什么50歲的比爾蓋茨還獲得哈佛大學(xué)的榮譽博士學(xué)位，F(xiàn)acebook創(chuàng)始人扎克伯格在2017年重返哈佛大學(xué)，完成榮譽博士學(xué)位呢?! 

>>>最新!美國大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮即將開幕！這些名校的演講嘉賓夠重磅!

因此，答案顯而易見，參加大學(xué)高等教育的意義，不僅僅是你在畢業(yè)后的收入，還有你的各種生活指標，幸福指數(shù)等等。

如果用普林斯頓大學(xué)校長的話，就是：因為你在沒有大學(xué)學(xué)位的情況下，也能學(xué)會一門手藝，他們說電焊工有時比很多大學(xué)生都賺得多，這沒錯。當然也有理由解釋為什么即使你打算成為電焊工也要先讀個大學(xué)，比如你可能擔心隨著技術(shù)發(fā)展，你的手藝會被淘汰，或者傷病會讓你無法勝任這份工作，又或者你想進入管理層，探索其他方面的愛好，大學(xué)學(xué)歷能讓你擁有應(yīng)對更多變化的能力，無論是在你自身還是在全球發(fā)生的變化，而這些都是難以避免的。

高等教育意味著高質(zhì)量的教學(xué)，教學(xué)則依賴于資深的教職員工們，而這些是非常昂貴的，因此，顯而易見，根據(jù)量化統(tǒng)計教育的前期成本是非常高昂的。而教育的回報也同樣是顯而易見的，甚至回報還會比投入更多，但這種回報是難以量化統(tǒng)計并且因人而異的。企圖以低成本博取更具確定性的收益的想法當然是誘人的，那些想少讀書的人當然會屈服于這種誘惑，他們強調(diào)短期的把注意力完全集中在對大學(xué)學(xué)費和第一份工作的薪水的比較上，這是錯誤的。

大學(xué)教育是一項長期投資，它讓畢業(yè)生不斷發(fā)展自己和適應(yīng)世界，從長遠來看，收益更加驚人。

針對某些美國政客瘋傳的“現(xiàn)在需要更少的大學(xué)生”，“減少大學(xué)生會讓這個國家更好”。普林斯頓大學(xué)校長表示：

如果那些專家政客只是說：“我們需要更好的職業(yè)培訓(xùn)”，我完全贊同。如果更多人能夠在就職前獲得職業(yè)培訓(xùn)機會的話，那當然非常好。但與此同時，如果更多人而不是更少的人能從讀大學(xué)這件事上有更深遠的獲益會更好。

>>>普林斯頓大學(xué)GPA要求是多少?申請條件有哪些變化?

“減少大學(xué)生會讓這個國家更好”的想法是非常短視的騙局，欺騙美國年輕人的騙局。它會削弱國家經(jīng)濟，破壞我們的未來。我們要有信心投資我們的年輕人，并確保大學(xué)教育對于各種背景和經(jīng)濟狀況的學(xué)生來說都是可以獲得且負擔得起的。 

在普林斯頓大學(xué)校長的演講中，他表示：“目前關(guān)于高等教育的價值有一場全國性的討論，我們需要聽到你們的聲音。換句話說，我們需要你將來幫助他人取得你們今日所取得的成就。”

對于“寬進嚴出”的美國大學(xué)，難畢業(yè)、退學(xué)率高等問題，普林斯大學(xué)校長在2018年畢業(yè)演講中，為大家分享了三點建議：

首先，成為學(xué)業(yè)完成率的重要性的倡導(dǎo)者。

如果能取得學(xué)位的話，高等教育帶來的收益是巨大的。如果你讀了大學(xué)最終卻沒能取得學(xué)位，回報率會低得多。學(xué)生貸款違約率最高的那批人，不是負債最多的那些畢業(yè)生，而是沒能讀完大學(xué)的那些小額債務(wù)人。由于沒能讀完大學(xué)，他們也未能享受到高校學(xué)位帶給他們的收入增長。

不久之前，我們授予了新澤西學(xué)院校長Barbara   Gitenstein榮譽學(xué)位，在她領(lǐng)導(dǎo)新澤西學(xué)院近二十年的時間里，她將學(xué)校的四年制畢業(yè)率從58%提高到了75%，這個數(shù)字在全國公立高校排名前5%。通過提高學(xué)生的畢業(yè)率，Gitenstein校長改變了成千上萬可能背負著債務(wù)輟學(xué)的學(xué)生的人生。支持更多像Gitenstein校長這樣的高等教育領(lǐng)袖以及那些像新澤西學(xué)院一樣致力于提高畢業(yè)率的院校吧。

其次，支持美國的公立高校。

美國各個州對公立高校的補助急劇下降，公立研究性大學(xué)的教育撥款在州財政預(yù)算中占比越來越小。例如，在密歇根大學(xué)，州的資助僅占總收入的9%。相比之下，在20世紀50年代，這個數(shù)字是80%。州立大學(xué)的學(xué)費上漲并不是因為他們增加了每個學(xué)生的花銷，而是因為州立法機關(guān)挖空了其他的經(jīng)濟來源。美國依靠其公立學(xué)校而強大，他們是社會發(fā)展創(chuàng)新的引擎。普林斯頓和其他私立大學(xué)為這個國家和世界做出了顯著的貢獻，但我們無法取代美國偉大的公立機構(gòu)，它們是國寶，我希望你們支持它們。

第三，倡導(dǎo)幫助更多低收入家庭學(xué)生獲得大學(xué)學(xué)位。

普林斯頓2018屆優(yōu)秀畢業(yè)生是這所大學(xué)272年歷史上社會經(jīng)濟背景最多元化的，珍惜這點特別之處吧，因為你們不會保持這個記錄太久了，普林斯頓的其他學(xué)生將打破這個記錄。我們的研究生項目同樣吸引了各種背景的人才，今年春天，我們錄取了普林斯頓歷史上背景最具社會經(jīng)濟多樣性的博士生。在普林斯頓，我們相信這種多樣性的積極意義，因為我們知道，不管是大學(xué)還是國家想要向前發(fā)展必須從社會各階層吸收人才。我們也知道，普林斯頓的學(xué)位是學(xué)生尋求社會經(jīng)濟階層流動的助推器。如果我們想要解決這個國家由于不公平而導(dǎo)致的割裂，我們必須確保來自低收入全體的學(xué)生得到他們需要的教育，從而發(fā)展能力并為社會做出貢獻。當看到我們的本科、碩士和博士畢業(yè)生時，我真心為你們的優(yōu)秀和多元感到驕傲，并未你們將會在未來幾年做出的貢獻而感到興奮。

這個世界需要更多的大學(xué)生，而不是更少!我們需要更多像今天這樣的慶祝活動，需要更多自信快樂的畢業(yè)生和為他們驕傲的家人走出去，為世界帶來積極的變化。在臺上的所有人都為能參與到你們的慶?；顒又懈械秸駣^，我們?yōu)槟銈兊某删凸恼疲瑸槟銈兗磳㈤_始的前方的冒險送上最美好的祝福，同時，我們歡迎你們將來多回母?？纯?。

2018屆的優(yōu)秀畢業(yè)生們，祝賀你們，也祝福你們。

附：2018年普林斯頓大學(xué)校長畢業(yè)演講(英文版)

In a few minutes, all of you will march through FitzRandolph Gate as newly   minted graduates of this University. Before you do, it is my privilege to say a   few words about the path that lies ahead. It is indeed a privilege, and also a   joy, to address you, for all of you who graduate today have accomplished   something genuinely important and worth celebrating.

You have completed a demanding course of study. It will transform your life   in many ways. It will expand the range of vocations you can pursue, increase   your knowledge of the world, deepen your capacity to appreciate societies and   cultures, and provide a foundation for lifelong learning.

So we celebrate here on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall, as do other college   communities in courtyards, auditoria, arenas, and stadia around the country.   Graduates toss caps in the air and professors applaud. Families cheer and holler   enthusiastically. Yet, even as we do so, we see a strange trend from columnists,   bloggers, think tanks, and politicians. In essays, books, and speeches, some of   them suggest that too many students are earning college degrees.

Too many college graduates: that is a very odd claim, because the economic   evidence for the value of a college degree is overwhelming. For example, in   2014, economists Jaison Abel and Richard Deitz of the Federal Reserve Bank of   New York estimated the average annual return on investment from a college   degree, net of tuition paid and lost earnings, at between 9 percent and 16   percent per year for a lifetime (1). For the last two decades, the return on   investment has hovered at the high end of that range, around 15 percent per   year.

By comparison, the historical average return on investments in the American   stock market is around 7 percent per year. That is why my friend Morton Shapiro,   the president of Northwestern University and a leading educational economist,   says that for most people, the decision to invest in a college degree will be   “the single best financial decision they make in a lifetime,” even if judged   purely in terms of financial return on investment.

A degree conveys many other benefits as well. For example, college graduates   report higher levels of happiness and job satisfaction, even after controlling   for income. College graduates are healthier than non-graduates. They are more   likely to exercise, more likely to vote, and have higher levels of civic   engagement. To these pragmatic considerations we should add the joys that come   with an increased capacity to appreciate culture, the arts, the world’s   diversity, and the inherent beauty of extraordinary ideas.

The numbers I have quoted are not specific to Princeton. On the contrary,   they are averages over all four-year degrees, in all fields, from all colleges   in the United States. Think about that for a moment: on average, all degrees in   all fields from all colleges generate an annual return between 9 percent and 16   percent, and this return is supplemented by additional benefits to health,   happiness, and quality of life. How could anyone think we need fewer college   graduates?

Some people answer that you can learn a trade without getting a college   degree. Welders, they observe, can make more money than many college graduates.   That’s true. There are, of course, reasons why you might want to get a college   degree even if you plan to become a welder. You might worry, for example, about   what happens if technology renders your trade obsolete, or arthritis leaves you   unable to practice it, or you want to move into management or explore other   interests. A college degree equips you to respond to the changes — to yourself,   and to the world — that inevitably occur over a lifetime.

Still, if pundits and politicians were saying only that America needs better   vocational training, I could agree wholeheartedly. It would be terrific if more   people could get the training they need to practice a trade. But at the same   time it would also be great if more people, not fewer, could receive the   extraordinary benefits that come with a college degree.

So I ask again: why would anyone think we need fewer college graduates? I   think there is a simple answer. Education requires high-quality teaching.   Teaching, in turn, depends upon skilled labor, which is expensive. As a result,   the up-front cost for education is real, large, and easy to measure. The returns   are equally real and even larger, but they accrue over a lifetime, are hard to   measure, and vary from person to person. It is tempting to wish that you could   get more certainty at lower cost.

The people who call for fewer degrees yield to that temptation. They   emphasize the short-term. They focus almost entirely on the price of college and   on the salaries students might earn in their first jobs. That is a mistake.

A college education is a long-term investment. It enables graduates to   develop and adapt, and it pays off spectacularly in the long run. The idea that   we would be better off with fewer college graduates is a short-term swindle, a   swindle that will cheat America’s young people, weaken the nation’s economy, and   undermine our future. We need to have the confidence to invest in our young   people and to ensure that a college education is accessible and affordable for   students from all backgrounds and financial circumstances.

I hope that all of you who graduate today, and who experience the power of   education in your own lives, will become advocates for the value of higher   education in our society. There is a national conversation taking place right   now about the value of higher education, and we need your voice in that   conversation. We need you, in other words, to help others to achieve in the   future what you achieve today.

How can you help more students earn college degrees? Here are three   suggestions. First, become advocates for the importance of completion rates. A   college education produces a tremendous return—if you get the degree. Returns   are much lower if you start college but do not get the degree. The highest   default rates on student loans do not involve college graduates with big debts.   They instead involve students with small debts who never finish college and so   never get the earnings boost that comes with a degree.

A few moments ago, we awarded an honorary degree to President Barbara   Gitenstein. Over her nearly two decades leading The College of New Jersey, she   raised the College’s four-year graduation rate from 58 percent to 75 percent, a   number that puts TCNJ’s on-time completion rate among the top ten in the nation   for public colleges and universities. By raising TCNJ’s graduation rate,   President Gitenstein has improved the lives of thousands of students who might   have left school with debt but no degree. Be an advocate for higher education   leaders like Bobby Gitenstein, and for colleges like TCNJ that commit to   improving completion rates.

Second, support America’s public institutions of higher education. State   subsidies for public colleges and universities have declined precipitously, and   state funding represents an increasingly small share of the budget at public   research universities. At the University of Michigan, for example, state funding   now accounts for only about 9 percent of total revenues. In the 1950s, by   contrast, that number was 80 percent. Tuition at state universities has risen   not because they have increased their expenditures per student, but because   state legislatures have hollowed out their other sources of support.

America depends on its public colleges and universities. They are engines of   social mobility and innovation. Princeton and other private universities make   essential contributions to the nation and the world — but there is no way that   we could ever replace America’s great public institutions. They are a national   treasure, and I urge you to support them.

Third, stand up for the importance of enabling more students from low-income   families to earn college degrees. Princeton’s Great Class of 2018 graduates   today as the most socioeconomically diverse class in the 272-year history of   this University. You will not hold that record for long. Other classes already   at Princeton will break your record. Our graduate programs are likewise drawing   upon new sources of talent: this spring we admitted the most socioeconomically   diverse class of doctoral students in Princeton University’s history.

At Princeton we believe in socioeconomic diversity because we know that to   achieve excellence as a University and as a nation we must draw talent from   every sector of society. We know, too, that a Princeton degree is a   rocket-booster for students seeking socioeconomic mobility. If we want to heal   the divisions that inequality has produced in this country, we must ensure that   students from low-income backgrounds receive the educations they need to develop   their abilities and contribute to our society.

As I look out at our extraordinary class of undergraduate, masters, and   doctoral degree recipients, I take pride in your excellence and your diversity,   and I am excited about the contributions you will make in the years ahead. The   world needs more college degrees, not fewer. We need more celebrations like the   one we hold today, with more proud families and happy graduates ready to go out   and make a positive difference in the world. All of us on this platform are   thrilled to be a part of your celebration. We applaud your achievements. We send   our best wishes as you begin the adventures that lie ahead, and we look forward   to welcoming you back to this campus on future visits. To the Great Class of   2018 and all of our graduates, congratulations!

>>>一鍵輸入GPA（2.0-4.0）、雅思/托福成績，快速匹配你適合申請哪所美國大學(xué)

留學(xué)規(guī)劃和留學(xué)申請是一項復(fù)雜的長期工程，不能片面聽取網(wǎng)友的交流，更不能輕信留學(xué)中介的說辭。留學(xué)監(jiān)理網(wǎng)由有20多年國際教育行業(yè)管理和服務(wù)經(jīng)驗的前教育部官員胡本未老師創(chuàng)立，得到新華社和央視網(wǎng)的高度評價。留學(xué)監(jiān)理網(wǎng)免費為學(xué)生提供留學(xué)咨詢規(guī)劃建議、推薦靠譜的留學(xué)機構(gòu)、審核留學(xué)方案和中介服務(wù)協(xié)議，受學(xué)生委托提供監(jiān)理服務(wù)、督辦留學(xué)中介的服務(wù)過程并“先行賠付”。

任何關(guān)于美國留學(xué)問題，比如去美國留學(xué)讀什么好就業(yè)?哪個美國留學(xué)中介好?或普林斯頓大學(xué)申請指南、美國名校申請解析等問題，大家都可以在線咨詢或持續(xù)訪問該欄目的其它相關(guān)文章。

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