A Listener Responds

Dr. Kline,

Heard you last evening on Mr. Bohannon’s [pictured] show regarding the ROTC programs at the University. While I agreed with much of what you presented I honestly failed to hear even a brief POSITIVE remark about the University and Colleges of this great country and how the world’s graduate student’s flock here for postgraduate work.

In regard to the ROTC programs one might point out to colleges which no longer have them that General Colin Powell was not a product of USMA but went to City College of New York. General Pershing, a West Point graduate, pursued a degree in law and headed up the University of Nebraska’s ROTC program for a time. General Shelton former Chief of Staff was also a ROTC graduate. I am sure there are a multitude of others. One might also point out that the ROTC program provide junior officers (O1-O4) a chance almost to fully maintain their military affiliation and still pursue graduate programs while they serve at ROTC posts at universities outside the Military Postgraduate schools.

Finally in regard to your ready agreement with Mr. Bohannon’s comment about the students only fleetingly engaging their professors and what is and is not written in the course catalog. The students in my course see me five days a week. I teach the lecture and the lab (No teaching assistants) and I know all their names. I have done this in courses of 15 and have done so in courses of 100. I can understand how big shot professors do not have time, but I accept the relatively low wages for 10 years of postgraduate education (professional school and graduate school) for the pleasure I get from watching my kids learn and for opportunities for independent research. Neither you nor Mr. Bohannon seemed willing to admit to the outliers. Your collective disdain was palpable, but of course just my pre-REM opinion.

Thanks for your time.

ed.–We spend our working lives looking for outliers. And thanks for the honorary Ph. D.

Thomas Reilly is a clinical assistant professor of veterinary pathobiology at the University of Missouri at Columbia.