Read the interview:
Beyond degrees and credit hours, Distinguished Fellow in Residence E. Gordon Gee believes universities should help students discover purpose and meaning. He shares his work creating a “Purpose Center” at West Virginia University — an initiative built on helping students understand who they are and what they want to contribute to the world.
You know what I tell young people all the time, as I say, you know, universities are wonderful places. And I would encourage you to, to think about what you're doing, in your life and the impact the opportunities can have on you. But what I really want you to think about as a young person is the fact that we live in a world in which everyone is to constantly be educated and and and continue their education.
So the world we live in now is pre-K through life. And even if you think that university education is not what you want, you're going to have to continue your education. So for those of us who are in university, we realize that we're part of a much larger system. And we hope that if you come to be with us, that we will meet your expectations by making sure that when you leave here that you have a purpose in life and that you're going to be able to, to succeed, not necessarily because of what we've taught you, but what you have gained in terms of personal growth in the institution.
Well, you know what I did at West Virginia, I created a purpose center. I actually have, have had that be one of my, one of my major pillars. I said, you know, everyone can get an education. But so many people are leaving. And I think this is one of the problems we have. Right now.
We need to discover our purpose individually and collectively. Our nation needs to discover its purpose. And I think you start with the individual. And so I, I think that, I think that so many universities are about, you know, 180 hours credit or whatever, but they're not really thinking carefully about how they can impact these young people.
I think a university is having 168 hours a week in that, and in that time, these students will be in class about 18 hours. And so the real question that we should be asking is, what are we doing with the other 150 hours? I think those are the most critical experiences that we can provide and work on within universities.
It's about building communities. It's about creating options that they would not have otherwise. It's about them committing to, role in life that they never imagined that they could do so. And we have to help them do that. One of the reasons I spoke to the Gallup organization is the fact that Jon and Jim Clifton, who really are the owners of Gallup, created this Clifton strength program.
I insisted that every student when they came to university take that, and I and I made their parents take it, too, and, you know, it's a wonderful instrument. But what it did is it gave people right out of the chute a way to kind of think about this is who I am.
Wow. I didn't realize that I had this intellectualism. I didn't realize that I was a woohoo or right about. And it gives them a pathway toward a real purpose in their life.