I want to weigh in before this post becomes too stale (it may seem hard to believe, but I am confident that there will soon be more good news that calls for space on the LAUS blog), and I would be remiss if I didn't start by saying that I think Dean Long's open letter was powerful and helpful, even for alumni like me. This dialogue is helpful too, because it shows that feelings can be put into words. We were, I think, overcome by emotions last and many felt unable to communicate them (and without communication, we could not form a community). By the end of the week, some people had found a way to communicate, and that communication helped the community re-form and turn to a candlelight vigil.

I think Dean Long's statement above, regarding how we will need to work at being amazing, is one thing the really strikes me about this ordeal. It was unhealthy in many respects (as we are now learning, I think) to rest on our laurels. There is a lot to be proud about when I look at the degree hanging in my office, but none of that comes from the paper itself. The name "Penn State" is not special by it's nature. It is the people there, doing great things, that make it wonderful. I am not proud of the just the buildings or just the name -- I am proud of what happens in those buildings and what happens through the Penn State name.

I cannot improve upon Dean Long's point: "we will have to continue to work at being amazing." We must prove to ourselves that we are amazing. If we do that, I am confident that we will prove it to the rest of the world too.

Many of us have internalized this scandal. I have because I owe Penn State a lot -- more than I'm comfortable describing in this post -- for providing an environment that allowed me to become who I am today. These crimes won't change that. Let us work together upon the foundation laid here by Lauren and Dean Long and begin to rise from the ashes and prove that the people at the institution are still smart and caring.

The question I'd pose to everyone is: are there concrete steps we can take? Is there a clear path forward besides making each decision with integrity (which is tremendously important in its own right)?

I want to weigh in briefly, although, in substance, Chris and Brian have already stated many feelings I have on the subject and likely did so with more evidence and eloquence than I could have mustered. Thank you both for putting thoughts into text. I really enjoyed reading it.

What this discussion does for me is illustrate something that I think we need more of: the beginning of an academic background into the causes and effects of new media. It was great to read this post in the same day as I read Nathan Jurgenson's <a href="http:// <a href="http://(http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/10/17/the-rise-of-the-internet-anti-intellectual/),"" target="_blank">(http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/10/17/the-rise-of-the-internet-anti-intellectual/)," target="_blank"> <a href="http://(http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/10/17/the-rise-of-the-internet-anti-intellectual/)," target="_blank">(http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/10/17/the-rise-of-the-internet-anti-intellectual/), where he says that there is too little study of social media. There are business folk (some of whom, like Jeff Jarvis, the subject of the post, are also in the academe) who have pounced on social media and its applications as a marketing tool. They are right to do so, of course, as social media affords us (I am in the corporate world and the public sector, so I use the first person) an opportunity to be better providers of services. So businesses are starting to understand some of what social media is and isn't from an investment and revenue-based point of view.

But what about non-businesses? Where are (as Jurgenson says) the Marshall McLuhans of new media? Who is theorizing what new media means for us as a society and individuals? As I write that, I think to myself that the analogy might be fundamentally flawed. Perhaps there are thousands of McLuhans out there now (as there could not be before). I do not know if that is good or bad, but I pay closer attention than most (I think) to what big names in the world are saying about new media, and the discussion is dominated by generally meaningless statistics ("there are X-million Facebook users this week!") or marketing/technical analyses of these online environments. Few of them pay serious attention to the effects that new media is having on our sociology, biology, and philosophy. I look forward to reading some of Brian's suggestions above, as I think they all sound fascinating, so I thank him for his recommendations -- perhaps if I make a concerted effort to find academics talking about new media, I will be able to find enough evidence that I'm forced to revise my statements here.

Ultimately, my point is the same as it was a few months ago when I saw a tweet from Chris that said it would be a shame if all the attention social media got in academia was focused on its business applications. I said it would be a complete disaster. I still think that's true, and every time I see these thoughtful, academic interpretations of how new media is impacting us and our abilities as teachers, students, trainers, doers, and thinkers, I am happy. It is the social scientist in me, I think, who wants to see these notions studied, tested, and analyzed, and I look forward to that happening sooner, rather than later (perhaps new media, combined with great leadership from people like Associate Dean Long, can do the unthinkable: speed up the pace of the academy!).

As we'd briefly discussed on Twitter, I'd also like to know about how you came to the decision to leave social media (parts of it, anyway). Given that a number of the organizations that I work with are government sector, there is an incredible amount of skepticism and distrust surrounding social media. That's one reason why I'm so interested in hearing a personal opinion (yours) on the topic.

I echo the comments about regarding the ease of use and usefulness of the Hangout. As everyone gets more comfortable with using the tool, I think we'll move away from some of the problems and have more time to focus on the intended subject.

I think that's a great idea. I think it would be useful to discuss some reflections on our Penn State educations now that we've taken a step away from (well, sort of) the world of classrooms and exams.

I also think there may be value in integrating G+ with the LAUS blog in some way. Perhaps, if technically possible, the students abroad who blog for LAUS could couple a scheduled Hangout (or some other kind of video) to complement their posts. There might be similar opportunities for students who are blogging about internships to host Hangouts with the assistance of the LAUS office.

Geoff, let's Hangout independently of CLA sometime to make sure that everything works properly. Also, to catch up on the important issues of the day and discuss the finer things in life.

Thank you for your kind words! As always, this online medium has provided a great way for us to engage each other (something that would be nearly impossible for me in Virginia otherwise!).

Regarding whom you should engage, I think it's clear that a number of parties need to be involved. The advisors, traditional alumni base, and employers that are friends of the College need to be involved to provide the content to students. They're experts when it comes to working to get a College degree and working after a student earns a degree.

But I think the College should also, as you said, take seriously the idea of engaging less traditional partners as well: recent alumni who have gone through the process in its entirety and current students, perhaps in some fashion organized by the LAUC, who are going through the process now. These groups can tell the College what they would use and how they would use it -- then the advisors, traditional alumni, and employer community can actually provide information in a way that students will use.

I'm happy to contribute in any way I can. I think the idea of a G+ circle is wise. If there are some leaders/moderators of the group, then I think it could be a productive way to provide advice during this set-up phase and ongoing support as necessary. And there might be room for a video hangout from time to time also, adding a dimension that we can't get through the blog.

I want to be clear: I am not arguing in favor of the status quo. As I said above, it's obvious that there is need for improvement and that such improvement may need to be substantial.

Pam, I may have been unclear before, but I don't think that what you're saying directly contradicts what I meant. What I (and Geoff, I think) am trying to say through all of this is that the College cannot and should not be responsible for finding job placements for students. It can and should, however, be responsible for making those resources available.

I do not think that students should have to jump through hoops to get the advice they need. I do not think that there is a puzzle that they should solve in order to be rewarded with assistance. No student should go to her advisor only to be sent to someone else only to be sent to somewhere else before getting an answer to a question about career advice. Students should not need need to sift through a mountain of pamphlets just to find the right email address they can use to ask someone for the right phone number to call so that they can set up a meeting.

I do think that students should be responsible for developing a plan, making meaningful connections with alumni or potential employers, and setting up informational interviews or attending information sessions. Students should look at those who are alongside them or those who came before them to find a model for success and do what those others did in order to pursue their goals. I think that students should seek our qualified support personnel when they get stuck, can't find a model for what they want, or don't know how to complete tasks they have determined will help them achieve their goals. I earnestly believe that those are responsibilities of the student and that no amount of effort on behalf of the College could or should replace those. The College cannot walk each student through the process of finding a job. The responsibility to identify and pursue a desired career path (or paths) must remain with the student, for a number of logistical and ethical reasons. The assistance they seek during that mission should be available, prompt, and useful.

If you are attempting to say that the problem for students (as I tried to elucidate in multiple previous comments) is that the current system is too incomprehensible, too obtuse, and too diffuse for most students, then we need to address that. I may agree with that, but I firmly disagree that the College is responsible for doing more than providing a reasonable system for students who will motivate themselves and push their own agenda. Geoff is right in saying that those skills (the ability to push oneself through the process) are valuable to have as alumni. I'm not advocating for a process that "weeds out" the students who can't do that, I think that the act of going through the process in a controlled, educational environment is actually beneficial.

So, if the problem is that information is unorganized, then I think The Network can help. In my years on campus and in my understanding of what happened before I arrived and after I left I saw a number of initiatives to consolidate the disparate sources of information into one location. It usually failed. I recall one particular project to put all the volunteering opportunities (university-sponsored, club-sponsored, and community-sponsored) into one website. It proved to be an impossible task. Career information is not so different, although it is perhaps a little more manageable (there is more planning, I'd wager). Taking the various integration points that Cody suggests above and combining them with your content suggestions is backbreaking work that will require diligence on the part of the CEN Director. That does not mean it shouldn't be done.

I think it would greatly benefit the College to have current students spell out two specific design elements for The Network.

First, the content. Most of our discussion has centered around what content should be there. Should it have information about upcoming career events, creating documents like resumes/cover letters/application essays, and plans of action for what you should do if you want to attempt to find a job in a given area? I'm sure the lists will go on and on when you consider what services already exist that you would like to consolidate. It will probably grow even more substantially when you consider what services don't exist but that you wish you had access to.

Second, the delivery mechanism. What pieces of content should be delivered through a web portal? What should be delivered through regular meetings in a classroom in Sparks? What should be delivered through one-on-one meetings in an office? Do you consume information through a central, Liberal Arts-specific email that you sign-up for? Or would you rather receive regular microblogs through Twitter or Google+?

In my experience, setting up student services is a difficult task. With support from the students the College hopes to help, however, it becomes a very achievable prospect.

I don't think we're going to agree on the nature of the collegiate experience. Traditionalists and education pundits have been pondering for decades, since the first conception of the G.I. Bill, whether college is worth it. The answer has remained the same: "for some people, yes. For others, no." In each of those articles, and in a number of opinion pieces to grace the pages of the Chronicle of Higher Education, I see that a few loud voices are proclaiming that universities are broken and that they encourage the wrong kind of learning (and sometimes no learning at all). I think that those are the musings of a small but loud (and rich) segment of our society. I also think that they're blaming higher education for what is a much larger problem that encompasses primary and secondary education along with a number of non-education issues.

We may not agree on that, and, in truth, you're right that it's beyond the scope of this blog post.

Where there may be room to agree with each other is on the issue of improving the College's approach to helping students who know they want to have a high paying job when they graduate but don't have any idea about how to get there. I think the College makes resources available, but I am aware that the system isn't perfect. I also think the onus currently (and rightly) falls on the student to seek out resources, ask questions and develop a post-graduation strategy. Are you saying that it isn't the student's responsibility to do those things? Or are you saying that it is the student's responsibility but that, for most students, it is currently too difficult to complete those tasks?

If it's the former, I have these questions: why isn't their responsibility? isn't the process of seeking help and making plans good education in itself?

If it's the latter, I have this question: what can the college do? I know you're opposed to a battery of unorganized emails (I would tend to agree with you there). But what are you in favor of?

I appreciate that you started this discussion. This sort of discussion does seem to spring up from time to time on this blog, and that's another reason why I like reading the material on this page.

One of the themes of this discussion seems to be when members of the College community can be expected to find resources on their own. Geoff and I are arguing that day occurs earlier, perhaps when a person arrives on campus, and you seem to be arguing that it occurs later. I maintain my stance that the resources available are immense and that they are accessible enough for anyone who is seeking them. I do not believe that these students, perhaps 18, 19, or 20 years old need to be told what resources they should be using. If those students actively seek that advice through the internet or by asking professors and advisers and are unable to find that information, then I would agree that there is a serious systemic problem. But I have not seen a lot of evidence to support that.

The debate over responsibility and age is nothing new and certainly exists outside your blog post here. Last year, I read a very interesting NYT Magazine article that seemed to address this issue. You might find it interesting, though unrelated to our specific concerns here. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22Adu...

The other part of the argument here is the idea of getting a job in exchange for paying tuition and getting a degree. My point is that the education and the experience are why you're hired. That's one reason why employers recruit at Penn State more than most other Pennsylvania schools. They don't recruit at Penn State because our tuition is higher; they recruit because our alumni generally have a clearer understanding of how things work (and, according to a report a few weeks ago, we make better colleagues, among other things). And, still, even if the schools were designed to make sure students left with a job, I believe that students still bear the responsibility for making sure they seek out the right resources to help them achieve their goals.

Cody, I disagree with both your premise and your assertion. I don't believe we've met or exchanged comments before, so let me quickly introduce myself: I am an alumnus (May 2010); my degree is in Political Science, and I have two minors (CAS and DMR). I am the author of the Dispatch From the Other Side series of posts on this site.

First, I'll address your premise, which I take to be that you went to college and therefore you should have a job if you want one. You further refine this by saying that you want a well-paying job. That is not the purpose of a liberal arts curriculum and, generally speaking, not the purpose of most University curricula. Your college experience is not a business transaction; you do not pay tuition and fee dollars in exchange for a job. You pay for an education and an experience (though it pains me to break those two components apart, as they are necessarily intertwined). If you were looking to complete a business transaction that resulted in you having a job, why not just take the money you spent on your cost of attendance and use it to buy a job? I'm confident that even $40,000 could have been used any number of ways to secure gainful employment.

Similarly, just having your current job with the Department of Justice will not guarantee you another job when you want one (although that is less true in DC than most places). Instead, by being exposed to your paralegal job with the DOJ, you will grow as a person, acquire useful traits and connections, and learn some valuable skills. When you want to move on to a different position or employer, you will be able to leverage that growth and those traits, connections, and skills to convince your prospective employer to hire you. The same set of rules apply for recent graduates. I think there is a substantive difference between that scenario and the one you posed above.

Next, I want to address your assertion that in the College of the Liberal Arts it is easy for a student who wants career advice to "fall through the cracks." The College (and the University) have numerous resources that both you and Geoff alluded to above. These resources, many of them suited to specific CLA disciplines, need to be sought, and I agree with Geoff that it can't be the College's responsibility to bring those resources to every student any more than they already do. Perusing this blog, even, would have yielded direct access to resources through career-related blog posts. The LAUS Announcements posts contain valuable information about career information, job fairs, etc. A few keyboard strokes will have you at either of these online hubs. The College makes this information accessible, and I am unconvinced that they need to also be responsible for forcing students to consume this information.

Where we may agree: It seems that a lot of students are handicapped by not knowing what questions to ask of their advisers (or other resources, like alumni and professors) when it comes to careers. This is a worthwhile concern, and one that I believe the College is actively trying to address through its new Career Enrichment Network. I am woefully under-qualified to discuss the specifics of this new entity, but I'd encourage you to look into the specifics by checking with the CLA administration.

If you remain certain that institutions of higher education fail in their mission to educate students in ways that are meaningful in 2011 (I hope that I am not falsely characterizing your point), I would like to read more about some specific suggestions you have to improve "the system." I would find that helpful and I can say with some confidence that the College administration tries to take a wide range of feedback into account.