https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/a8d1f8172d5e61f6eccf79e47a01058f.pdf 9feff77a799aadf3981df71c2c4f9b76 PDF Text Text OBSERVER Engaging Edifices By CHAD HANSON onstruction abounds on crafted in the shape of an angelic arch. I my campus. Crews of carpen­ noticed, as I walked across the campus, ters erected three buildings that my posture straightened. I grew in the past year, and a fourth taller. Without thinking consciously is scheduled to break ground. The about my gait, I slipped out of my Midbuildings are impressive in one westem-farm-kid shuffle into some­ sense—they are enormous. Even so, thing one or two shades more proper. when I look at the largest of them, I walked through one of the doors I do not feel uplifted or inspired. I and sauntered down a hall. The place stroll past the structure and think, exuded the dignity of a monastery. “That is one big, gray cube.” Each handcrafted detail invited my The designers took the issue of eyes to wander and my mind to slow energy efficiency into account, and its pace. The arches seemed to say, I applaud them for their efforts in “Our builders did not map the short­ that area. The new hall looks effi­ est or quickest distance between cient, but efficiency defines the place. points.” Instead, the graceful curves The planners gave a high priority to urged me to take time to reflect and producing the maximum number of contemplate. I found myself day­ square feet at the lowest price. That’s dreaming, thinking about all of the a common consideration for large identities that shifted as students buildings. Consequently, if you didn’t changed how they thought of them­ know that the structure stood on a selves in each classroom. Winston campus, you could mistake it for, say, Churchill is supposed to have said: the offices of an investment firm or “We shape our buildings, and after­ an insurance company. wards our buildings shape us.” As an undergraduate, I attended Higher education is a part of our so­ a modest, public institution— Northern Arizona University. The college’s roots extend back into the 1800s. There is no mistaking the campus for any other part of Flagstaff. The walls were set with bricks cut from a local variation of brownstone. Four-story columns stand before the entrances to sev­ eral buildings. The rooftops climb at a steep pitch, encouraging eyes to Unger on the architecture. I learned to love education on that campus, and one of the things that I loved best is how I felt when wan­ dering the grounds. The built environment is meaningful. Places communi­ cate. Roofs, walls, and floors all provide cues that help us define where we are and how we are sup­ posed to think and feel. They tell us what a space is for and what is to be expected. To use a concept from the theater, they provide a “set” for our behavior. Buildings tell us how we are supposed to act. This spring, on a trip to Chi­ cago, I made a point to see North­ western University. My favorite author, Joseph Epstein, taught English at Northwestern, and, even though the main campus is in Evanston, I still wanted to see the branch in Chicago. My trip did not disappoint. In the center of the city, amid sky­ scrapers and high-rises, stood a group of buildings that could have been plucked straight out of me­ dieval Belgium; well-worn bricks, heavy wooden doors, ornate, handcarved window sills, each opening C ciety and thus not immune to the influ­ ence of our culture. We value speed and efficiency. In our business-oriented way of life, most events are seen through the lens of manufacturing, even human processes that have nothing to do with producing products. For example, we have come to view and discuss higher learning in terms of simple inputs and outcomes. Increasingly, we speak the language of economics, and we enact our roles in buildings that look like of­ fice complexes or factories. N REMAKING SCHOOLS to look like factories, we have forgotten an important lesson from the field of anthropology: Education is a ritual that entails much more than the production of outcomes. B.F. Skinner said it best: “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.” Skinner was the pre-eminent cognitive schol­ ar of his generation. Even he knew that specific learning outcomes pale I Chad Hanson is chairman ofthe sociology and social-ivork depart­ ment at Casper College and author, most recently, o/The Community College and the Good Society (Transaction Publishers, 2010). JOMMN B20 THE CHRONICLE REVIEW beside the long-term alterations that occur when individuals come to think of themselves as educated people. Skinner understood that a success­ ful education changes one’s identity and that an identity is a complicated bundle of memories. When we think about who we are, all of the places we have been and the people we have known come into view. In my case, I will carry the brownstone walls and columns of my undergraduate cam­ pus with me to the grave. That makes me think about what my students will remember. Will they carry the sharp angles and cost-effec­ tive space of our current campus with them as they age? Will their campus occupy the same vaunted place in their memories that my former cam­ pus occupies in mine? Will the men­ tal images make them feel thoughtful, empowered, self-possessed, and dig­ nified? Or will the recollections make them feel like workers, filling orders with efficiency? What about the stu­ dents who take all of their courses online? I cannot help thinking that we are robbing them of memories. Rituals change lives because they are invested with mean­ ing. Consider religious services. Churches, mosques, and syna­ gogues radiate poise. Steeples, domes, and stained-glass windows lift the practice of worship away from our everyday pursuits. The buildings are designed to elicit feelings of solemnity. The experience is meant to make an impression and then follow you into your life. Similarly, there is a reason why people dress in fine clothes on their wedding day. The memories would lose their luster if marriages were conducted in the outfits we wear on the job or the sweatsuits we wear when we’re running errands after work. The next time I walk past the efficient new buildings on my campus, I am going to make a point to wander aimlessly down the sidewalk, paying special at­ tention to the dandelions push­ ing through the lawn, sparrows chirping quietly from the tree branches. Better yet, I won’t even walk past the new buildings. I will take the scenic route. That’ll give me time to think. ■ FOB THE CMIONMXE BEVIEW MARCH 30, 2012 � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Print Magazine Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Engaging Edifices Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text"><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 2012-03-30 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Chad Hanson Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Chad Hanson Journal Publications, CCA 04.ii.e.2025.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 04.ii.e.2025.01_ChadHansonPapers_17 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Serarchable PDF Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <em>The Chronicle Review</em> is published by The Chronicle of Higher Education Inc.