NDSU to become Confucius Institute

[Hammersmith]

I'm sure there are a couple jokes in there, but the SBoHE approved the proposal today. It looks like our Chinese parter will be Hunan Normal University in Changsha. Apparently we've worked with them before, and they were the people who contacted us about the idea. About $100,000 per year will come from the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing to start and run the program.

Being the bastard that I am, I was pleased to hear that the Institute only funds two universities per state. Both NDSU and Dickinson State were approved to form these programs today, so that leaves a certain ND university out in the cold. That university did just sign an agreement with a single Taiwanese university, but that's a far cry from becoming part of a network of over 300 schools worldwide(target of 500 by the end of the year).

NDSU proposes Chinese institute (http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/286238/)
Dickinson State, NDSU seeking stronger China ties (http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/170257/)

[Hammersmith]

In other language news, NDSU is hosting an international convention of Latin speakers. About 1,300 middle/high/college students from the US and Canada are on campus today through Sunday.

Students celebrate classical language (http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/286240/)

[North Side]

In other language news, NDSU is hosting an international convention of Latin speakers. About 1,300 middle/high/college students from the US and Canada are on campus today through Sunday.

Students celebrate classical language (http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/286240/)

I was a member of JCL back in high school :D GO LATIN!!!

[tony]

I was a member of JCL back in high school :D GO LATIN!!!

I went to that back when it was at Concordia. When did it switch to NDSU?

Edit: Sorry for topic drift but classical languages are near and dear to the heart... the Confucius thing sounds OK.

[Hammersmith]

I went to that back when it was at Concordia. When did it switch to NDSU?

You must be thinking of the JCL competitions. This is the NJCL convention, which moves every year and Concordia has never hosted it. This is the second time NDSU has hosted it(1997).

http://njcl.org/pages/convention-sites


Unless you're thinking of the annual Concordia Language Camp?

[tony]

You must be thinking of the JCL competitions. This is the NJCL convention, which moves every year and Concordia has never hosted it. This is the second time NDSU has hosted it(1997).

http://njcl.org/pages/convention-sites

Ah! That sounds different.. whatever they had in Cobberland, it wasn't much in the way of competition. The competition was the National Latin Exam (yes, there really is such a thing.)

[TheBisonator]

Speaking of Latin, I have a translation question. NDSU's motto, "For the land and its people", what does that translate to in Latin?? Something something populum??

[JSUBison]

Speaking of Latin, I have a translation question. NDSU's motto, "For the land and its people", what does that translate to in Latin?? Something something populum??

Orfay ethay andlay andway itsway eoplepay.

[BlueBisonRock]

Orfay ethay andlay andway itsway eoplepay.

The Brookings dialect?

[Bison bison]

Speaking of Latin, I have a translation question. NDSU's motto, "For the land and its people", what does that translate to in Latin?? Something something populum??

Latin is for assholes.

Land Grant Schools use English for their mottoes.

[TheBisonator]

Latin is for assholes.

Land Grant Schools use English for their mottoes.

Like the University of Minnesota??

(Commune vinculum omnibus artibus)

I think it's more like former normal schools and teachers colleges and regional DII Tier-4 schools that should be using English. NDSU (a state flagship national university) should use Latin.

[ndsubison1]

Confucius institute? WTF does that even mean?

[Hammersmith]

Confucius institute? WTF does that even mean?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+a+Confucius+Institute?

[TbonZach]

Confucius institute? WTF does that even mean?

It means "To confuse the f*** out of any who does not know Latin."

[tony]

Speaking of Latin, I have a translation question. NDSU's motto, "For the land and its people", what does that translate to in Latin?? Something something populum??

Translating "land" to get the desired meaning would be the hard part but I suppose "Pro terra et populo" would work.

Anyway sorry for the off topic stuff - Confucius is Chinese, of course, and his name got Latinized because he became known to the West after his works were translated into Latin by Jesuits.

[Bison bison]

Like the University of Minnesota??

(Commune vinculum omnibus artibus)

I think it's more like former normal schools and teachers colleges and regional DII Tier-4 schools that should be using English. NDSU (a state flagship national university) should use Latin.

I was giving a talk at Michigan State and noticed from the giant seals around the auditorium that land grant schools were the only members of the big ten that didn't use latin. I happen to appreciate that.

A classical liberal arts education has seen its day come and go. (I have the upmost appreciation for western civ, humanities, etc. but as an employer I want to see folks with some skills IN ADDITION TO the ability to think.)

Let the kelly green and pink set have their latin mottos and useless degrees in classics that lead to a job at starbucks where you can't service your student loans. I'll take an nurse, engineer, etc. any day.

[bisonmike2]

Latin is for assholes.

Land Grant Schools use English for their mottoes.

We's in Ameruca! Speak Americun!

[tony]

Let the kelly green and pink set have their latin mottos and useless degrees in classics that lead to a job at starbucks where you can't service your student loans. I'll take an nurse, engineer, etc. any day.

We'll have to agree to disagree - I think a university should be more than a five year tech school. Like it or not, universites are supposed to foster scholarship. It is of upmost importance to offer students a connection to all 2600 years of western thought rather than teach only technical skills. Besides, at least in my field, the ability to think and solve problems is far more important than learning some technical tricks that are going to be obsolete in three years.

[Bison bison]

I don't disagree with you Tony. But folks who do nothing for four years but read classics are borderline unemployable.

Case in point, I interviewed a graduate of a prestigious classics program for a grad student position a few years ago. The guy was great. We could have discussed the classics for hours on end. But when it came down to it, he would have required some serious training that his peers already had (nothing specialized, basic computing skills in this case).

The kid himself recognized this. He was looking at a master's in applied stats or something similar. Even then, how well does an understanding of Euclid's Elements or Apollonius' On Conic Sections help when you need to program SAS or conduct numerical analysis?

It would be interesting to see who has better critical thinking skills- a four-year straight-a student of the classics OR a tech school graduate who plays Call of Duty in his spare time.

I do agree with your statement about the importance of the humanities and individuals recognizing their place in the scheme of things, but that doesn't require four years of full time study (more like a lifetime of part-time education and contemplation).

It would be interesting to see who has better understanding of life - a four-year straight-a student of the classics OR an electrician who goes to church on Sunday and likes to fish.

UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGH ENOUGH IN THIS COUNTRY!!! :)

[Bison bison]

To expound.

A classical liberal arts degree was ideal for Victorian snobs who had nothing to do with their lives other than look out windows, sit on couches, drink tea, and order around help. If you were going to part of the leisure class, what better way than to kick things off by spending big bucks and four years to read and discuss two thousand year old stories.

This program was copied by hundreds of wannabe-elitist institutions (see UND).

The problem is that unless you are born or married into money you need to contribute to society most usually by participating in the workforce. An undergraduate degree in classics/old school liberal arts gives you next to no leg up other than demonstrating that you have money/social status which is extremely valuable. However, this isn't as true anymore as many students finance their education.

IMO, exposure to the humanities is necessary for an individual to fully appreciate/understand/make the most of life. But it might not put food on the table.

Going back to the interview story. If that kid would have taken a course or two that brought him down from Aristophane's Clouds he would have had a job.

(FYI - I read classics in my spare time.)

[Tatanka]

I don't disagree with you Tony. But folks who do nothing for four years but read classics are borderline unemployable.

Case in point, I interviewed a graduate of classics program for a grad student position a few years ago. The guy was great. We could have discussed the classics for hours on end. But when it came down to it, he would have required some serious training that his peers already had.

The kid himself recognized this. He was looking at a master's in applied stats or something similar. Even then, how well does an understanding of Euclid's Geometry of Newton's On Conic Sections help when you need to program SAS or actually perform some high speed numerical analysis?

I graduated with a technical degree from a liberal arts based university. As much as I hated the core curriculum at the time, I strongly believe that a more well-rounded education is better for the workplace. But the point that there needs to be a balance between the fluffy and the practical is absolutely correct.

[tony]

I graduated with a technical degree from a liberal arts based university. As much as I hated the core curriculum at the time, I strongly believe that a more well-rounded education is better for the workplace. But the point that there needs to be a balance between the fluffy and the practical is absolutely correct.

Yeah, I wouldn't suggest that everybody should major in classical studies or liberal arts (though we do need some people to do so). However, a university should be about education and ideas not just job training. Too many college graduates get through school without ever really thinking about anything. I think NDSU's classical offerings helped me reach my goals of becoming better educated - without them, I'd have gone to a different university. Personally, I wanted to go to a "elitist" institution because I wanted to be challenged.

Universities, in order to deserve the name, must help their students become leaders, thinkers, and life-long scholars, not just good workers.

[ndsubison1]

Classical studies sounds boring. Why would anybody want to read that stuff is beyond me lol

[bisonmike2]

What? No Confucius say jokes? I guess I'll get this party started.


Confucius say a man who take viagra and ex-lax don't know whether he's coming or going.

Confucius say man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok

[Tatanka]

What? No Confucius say jokes? I guess I'll get this party started.


Confucius say a man who take viagra and ex-lax don't know whether he's coming or going.

Confucius say man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok

I think this is a new record for Bisonville. 24 posts to degenerate into the obvious. :)

[OrygunBison]

I think that my education was somewhat skewed at NDSU. The Architecture program seems to be quite different than most of the rest of the U. We only had a small number of humanities electives that we could squeeze into our education, usually just the minimum mandates. A very high number of our classes were just flat out required and everything, it seemed, was a prerequisite of some other class that you needed. Five years of school was almost perfectly laid out in the fall of freshman year.

That all said, the Architectural education itself should almost be considered a liberal arts degree. Most of the coursework is theory based and you don't really leave school able to do a single darn thing, other than perhaps being able to describe something through your drawing and presentation skills. The profession recognizes that. In order to get a professional Architectural license, you need to follow up your degree with 3 years of internship (which is where your actual job skills are developed) and then you take 9 exams that last about 35-40 hours. Most people aren't really able to practice autonomously for at least 10-15 years and many never reach that threshold, either because they can't or because they don't want to.

I think that most engineering degrees have the internship and PE exam but I also think that they learn something more concrete during school.

You might think that this whole realization bugs me but I am really happy that I have this background. Perhaps this is the way it should be for everyone. Maybe we should all be immersed in the arts, learning first HOW to think before developing our own opinions on everything. That is probably the thing I like most about the program. It is hard to leave the program and not be a critical thinker. For what it is worth, I started out at NDSU as a pretty conservative person, politically and otherwise. I left, well left.

As an employer, I look for people that balance knowledge with life experience. Technology is changing all of the time. In my 17 years in this profession, we change the way we do things every 2 to 3 years. If you don't know how to think for yourself, you'll never catch up and you'll sink.

[SDbison]

Yeah, good idea to partner with a Chinese school.........with the way this country is being run into the ground the Chinese will soon be able to own the US.

[BlueBisonRock]

Yeah, good idea to partner with a Chinese school.........with the way this country is being run into the ground the Chinese will soon be able to own the US.

Considering that the Chinese currently hold about 1/3 of the US treasuries, you are not too far off of the mark.

Foreign Holders of US Treasuries (http://www.ustreas.gov/tic/mfh.txt)