A realm of caveat emptor

Abstract

Consumerism has progressed rapidly in some areas, not at all in others. The struggle to have accurately and openly labeled as to price, quantity, and quality, continues to be urged on many fronts. Strategies pursued include consumer education, as well as surveillance of provider of goods and services. An exceedingly costly product consumed each year by various private and public employers is the college graduate. A premium price must be paid to fill vacancies with college graduates, but it is virtually impossible to obtain reliable information about skills and qualities of available graduates. Probably no group is deceived more often regarding the qualities of a product than those who must hire on the basis of degrees and transcripts provided by our colleges and universities. In this market the buyer must surely beware. Honest labeling regarding the achievements of the student to whom a degree has been granted is virtually unknown. The acquisition of a bachelor's degree carries nothing in the way of assurance regarding a minimum level of knowledge or intellectual skills. Likewise, the listing of a course on a student's transcript guarantees the employer nothing concerning the student's competence in the subject. In this realm the consumer is not assured satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back. One can anticipate objections to the viewpoint that college graduates are products created or refined for employers. Although obviously all concerned fondly hope that the college experience does much more than render an individual employable, this outcome still looms large in the eyes of many students, their parents, and employers. Studies of motivations for college attendance indicate the prominence of occupational objectives, especially in the case of first generation collegians. And the frequency with which a college degree-often in a specific field-is part of job specifications strongly suggests a belief that something useful (from an employer's perspective) is occurring during a four year sojourn at college. Those persons presumably in the best position to provide useful information regarding the output of our colleges and universities are our faculty members. As one responsibility the faculty always has observed the students' performance in their courses, and appraised the quality of their work. Those students failing to meet a minimum level of competence were to be failed with no credit. Thus, the