Last week, I began having that foreboding feeling of impending stress. A quick glance at my usually packed schedule indicated graduate projects, meetings, intramural games, and even a wedding shower to attend. Making matters worse, I started to finally feel the wrath of whatever respiratory diseases I might have accidentally inhaled at any given public area.
While feeling physically incapacitated and even somewhat mentally sluggish, I found some time to think. And the random topic that I thought about was this: what is a scholar?
You might say this topic stems from my article last week about arête – discovering one’s full potential. As I was lying in bed, two questions came to mind. As I wrote this article, I decided to add a third into the mix. What is a scholar? Am I a scholar? Does SMU encourage scholarship?
What is a scholar?
Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines a scholar as “a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher, has done advanced study in a special field, a learned person, or a holder of a scholarship.” Feeling unsatisfied with this answer, I asked Merriam-Webster to define scholarship. Scholarship is not just “a grant-in-aid to a student,” but can be “the character, qualities, activity, or attainments of a scholar.”
For my purposes, I am going to make the blanket assumption that all scholars are students, but not vice versa. I am creating a distinction between the two because I believe our society reacts to these two words very differently. Students are simply people who go to some institution of learning. On the other hand, scholars seem to be an elite group of advanced degree-holding individuals who are academically accomplished. I clearly struggled to describe a scholar. What makes someone a scholar? Is there a certain point in time when you might achieve scholar status? Perhaps the difficulty in defining scholar is in the idealization of the word.
Am I a scholar?
One of my favorite professors always greeted us each day with the phrase, “Hello, young scholars!” What a great feeling that instilled – especially in the mind and heart of a young man still unsure how he would handle the challenges of collegiate academia. I would not be so crass as to call myself a scholar, but I think I’m pretty darn close.
Assume that there is a process for becoming a scholar similar to that required to obtain a Ph.D. Suppose I appeared before a judge or a panel of scholars to argue my scholarly status. What would I say to them? I would probably start by describing my majors in engineering management science and mathematics and talk about the projects and the research I have done in my classes.
Next, I’d talk about how I tried to diversify my GEC by taking classes from highly recommended professors in spite of warnings of their impact on GPAs. Through courses like Medieval Pilgrimage I have developed an appreciation for medieval history, art, music, and literature. In fact, I even explored medieval masculinity in a research paper. I have learned to critically analyze different texts – from literature to translated New Testament Greek letters.
I attended multiple lectures in my time at SMU, including some by esteemed professors in all fields of study. Finally, I would finish my argument with the fact that I have received multiple distinctions from many academic sources – multiple honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, and even a departmental award in mathematics. If that doesn’t qualify me, I’d try to throw in the fact that I am pursuing graduate studies in my field as well.
What do you think? If you were reading my academic resume, would you consider me a scholar? More importantly, take a moment to critique your own academic career. Do you feel worthy to call yourself a scholar?
Over the years, the topic of SMU’s academic rigor is questioned and even challenged. I remember an article written by an individual last year that asked a simple question: “Is SMU too easy?” While I admitted to taking some introductory courses that were really easy, I argued that I did receive my expected degree of academic training. To quote myself, I said, “For me, the value of my education was really important to me, and while some students seek out the easy classes, I did the opposite.”
Does SMU encourage scholarship?
Every day, SMU becomes a better institution. I believe that whole-heartedly. But is it doing enough to encourage scholarship? I don’t have any answers for this one. I want you to think about how SMU could become a better academic environment. It’s not just about challenging courses. Do you enjoy your classes? Do you feel engaged in your classes? Do you ever find yourself talking about something you learned in class? I know I’m asking a lot of questions. I’d actually be interested to hear your responses.
If I had to come up with one possible solution, I’d suggest becoming more relevant. Imagine if SMU had just as many exciting academic events as campus-wide social events. Imagine if your group of friends had to argue over whether or not you should go to a party versus attending a once-in-a-lifetime lecture.
A penny for your thoughts. No, I’ll even buy you a cup of coffee or tea for your thoughts.
Daniel Liu is a graduate engineering management student. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
