The Fat Lady Begins To Sing
And so it begins… The most recent national election declared the passion of the American people for the Nanny State. Of the almost 127 million voters, a majority preferred a governing system that favors high taxes, a saturated welfare system, forced health care, and an abundance of government dependent workers. Apparently we have learned nothing […]
The Liberal Arts During Bondage: Part One
[This series of posts are a continuation of the blog posted on January 1, 2013 at Shanonbrooks.com entitled Job Training Versus Character Education] What does bondage look like? One attribute of human nature is that we tend to acclimate over time to whatever condition we are experiencing. We get used to the hot or cold […]
Job Training Versus Character Education
Modern higher education has become proficient at convincing the American public that to earn a good living, one must hold a college/university degree. While some jobs/careers do require specialized training, the scheme of requiring a degree in most cases, is more a function of credentialism and jumping through hoops than actual job preparation. Just ask […]
Funding Is Half Way There
Last month we sent out an email (The Right Idea At The Right Time) comparing the beginnings of Monticello College to other now well-known colleges and universities. We showed you the simple solution used by many institutions of higher learning centuries ago and how it stabilized those schools to become the great educational pillars they […]
A Renaissance in Social Leadership
I actually wrote and posted this article in 2009, but I felt that it was a good time to take another look. In Lee Iacocca’s book Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, he strikes a poignant cord—with all of these problems we are facing, where is the outrage? And now that he mentions it, […]
Controversial Article: Read At Your Own Risk
This is an article worth reading. It is a liberal critic by a normally liberal news outlet. It is the kind of scrutiny that all potential presidents should be subjected to (before the election) and it addresses the issue of racism. I Too Have Become Disillusioned —by Matt Patterson (Columnist, Washington Post, New York Post […]
The Right Idea At The Right Time
The right idea (no matter how small) at the right time (no matter how difficult)—is still the right idea at the right time. The “right idea” of Monticello College has something in common with many long-standing institutions of higher education such as Yale, Harvard, William and Mary, Hillsdale, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, and […]
Response to an Email
Below is an actual email that I received last week. After I responded, I thought it would be worthwhile to share the email and the response. Begin forwarded message: From: Devirl Barfuss Date: September 29, 2012 8:12:30 AM MDT To: info@monticellocollege.org Subject: Re: Why Liberal Arts and Why Monticello College? Doctor Brooks, I have followed you since Cedar City and point […]
Labor, Pietas, and Fatum
The great Roman Poet Virgil summarized the virtues of the Roman Republic in three words: Labor Pietas Fatum These three words played a vital role in shaping Colonial America and in essence led the American culture up until the Civil War. When Virgil wrote of the Romans in the Aeneid these three words were used […]
Why Colleges Don’t Teach the Federalist Papers
The May 7th, 2012 issue of the Wall Street Journal printed an article entitled: WHY COLLEGES DON’T TEACH THE FEDERALIST PAPERS by Peter Berkowitz At America’s top schools, graduates leave without reading our most basic writings on the purpose of constitutional self-government. Berkowitz begins his article: It would be difficult to overstate the significance of […]