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Derek Bok

Derek Bok Quotes

Lawyer

Derek Bok is a distinguished lawyer and academic administrator, born on March 22, 1930. He has made substantial contributions to the field of education and legal practice, serving in several prominent roles throughout his career.

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All Thinking Students College University Professors Graduates Harvard Higher Problem Teaching

Famous Derek Bok Quotes

“If you think the cost of education is high, think about ignorance.”

Ifs Thinking Ignorance Cost Cost Of Education

Author:Derek Bok

“As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.”

Country Higher Cost Mass Increase Embrace University Relative Elites Maintaining Higher Education

Author:Derek Bok

“If we are prepared to invest the necessary time and effort, affirmative action can contribute to Harvard's quality and not detract from it.”

Ifs Action Effort Quality Prepared Harvard Affirmative Action Affirmative

Author:Derek Bok

“The most obvious purpose of college education is to help students acquire information and knowledge by acquainting them with facts, theories, generalizations, principles, and the like. This purpose scarcely requires justification.”

Facts Helping Purpose Principles Information Students College Theory Obvious Acquire Justification College Education Generalization

Author:Derek Bok

“Ever since economists revealed how much universities contribute to economic growth, politicians have paid close attention to higher education.”

Growth Attention Economic Higher Politician Paid University Economist Economic Growth Higher Education

Author:Derek Bok

“For some students, especially in the sciences, the knowledge gained in college may be directly relevant to graduate study. For almost all students, a liberal arts education works in subtle ways to create a web of knowledge that will illumine problems and enlighten judgment on innumerable occasions in later life.”

Way May Art Problem Study Students College Judgment Occasions Subtle Relevant Graduates Enlightening Art Education Liberal Arts Knowledge Gained Liberal Arts Education

Author:Derek Bok

“The college that takes students with modest entering abilities and improves their abilities substantially contributes more than the school that takes very bright students and helps them develop only modestly.”

Helping School Ability Students College Modest Entering

Author:Derek Bok

“Economists who have studied the relationship between education and economic growth confirm what common sense suggests: The number of college degrees is not nearly as important as how well students develop cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving ability.”

“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

Ifs Thinking Inspirational Trying Humor School Funny Wealth Money Education Knowledge Learning Study Teacher Teaching Students Ignorance High School Parenting University Atheist Educational Caring Lawyer Expensive Graduation Literacy Harvard Educator Teaching Children Great Education College Education Teaching And Learning Education And Teachers Knowledge Is Power Schools And Education School Education Great Educational Teaching And Education Teachers And Teaching Teaching Education Teacher Student Teaching Learning Children Learning Great Teaching Quality Education Knowledge Education Education And Knowledge Children Education Students And Education Children And Education Education And Literacy Funny Commencement Knowledge And Learning Value Of Education Knowledge Learning Inspirational High School Graduation Stupidity And Ignorance Knowledge And Ignorance Learning Knowledge Teaching Students Training And Education Early Education Related To Education Schools And Teachers Literacy And Children Literacy For Children Aim Of Education Cool Graduation Educational Change Secondary Education Graduation Wishes

Author:Derek Bok

“Education, and I regret to say this as an educator, but there's no indication that education has a direct effect on happiness.”

Effects Regret Direct Indication Educator I Regret Direct Effect

Author:Derek Bok

“Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching than they do conducting experiments or writing books.”

Writing Book Teaching Training Research Experiments More Time Academic Devoted Writing A Book Conducting Academic Life

Author:Derek Bok

“Again and again, universities have put a low priority on the very programs and initiatives that are needed most to increase productivity and competitiveness, improve the quality of government, and overcome the problems of illiteracy, miseducation, and unemployment.”

Problem Government Quality Needed Lows Program Overcoming Increase University Productivity Priorities Initiative Again And Again Unemployment Competitiveness Illiteracy

Book:Universities and the Future of America

Source: Universities and the Future of America

“An educated man must have a "curiosity in exploring the unfamiliar and unexpected, an open-mindedness in entertaining opposing points of view, tolerance for the ambiguity that surrounds so many important issues, and a willingness to make the best decisions he can in the face of uncertainty and doubt".”

“I suspect that no community will become humane and caring by restricting what its members can say.”

Community Members Caring Suspects Humane

Author:Derek Bok

“I won't say there aren't any Harvard graduates who have never asserted a superior attitude. But they have done so to our great embarrassment and in no way represent the Harvard I know.”

Knows Way Done Attitude Superiors Graduates Embarrassment Harvard

Author:Derek Bok

“Universities are institutions run by amateurs to train professionals.”

Running School Institutions Train University

Author:Derek Bok

“There is far too much law for those who can afford it and far too little for those who cannot.”

Littles Law Too Much Authority

Author:Derek Bok

“The oldest of the arts and the youngest of the professions.”

Author:Derek Bok

“Early admission programs tend to advantage the advantaged.”

Advantage Program Admission

Author:Derek Bok

“Fewer than half of all university professors publish as much as one article per year.”

Years Half University Professors Articles Fewer Publish University Professors

Author:Derek Bok

“Freshly minted Ph.Ds typically teach the way their favorite professors taught.”

Way Teach Taught Professors

Author:Derek Bok

“Good teaching is creating really interesting generalizations out of war stories.”

War Stories Interesting Teaching Creating Really Interesting Generalization Good Teaching War Stories

Author:Derek Bok

“Greater inequality in Europe has made people less happy.”

People Made Greater Europe Inequality

Author:Derek Bok

“I think it's sort of an outrage that companies should have to hire firms to teach the college graduates they employ how to write.”

Thinking Should Writing Company Teach College Should Have Firm Graduates Outrage College Graduates

Author:Derek Bok

“I think one thing that does cause unhappiness is protracted anxiety and worry.”

Thinking Doe Causes Worry One Thing Anxiety Unhappiness Anxiety And Worry

Author:Derek Bok

“I think the minority students that we admit to Harvard are every bit as meritorious as the white students that we admit.”

Thinking Bits White Students Minorities Harvard

Author:Derek Bok

“The first country to adopt happiness as an official goal of public policy is the tiny little country of Bhutan in Asia near China and India.”

Firsts Littles Country Goal Policy India China Tiny Officials Asia Public Policy China And India Bhutan

Author:Derek Bok

“There's a great deal of difference between thinking reflectively about moral issues and achieving higher standards of ethical behavior.”

Thinking Differences Deals Moral Issues Achieve Higher Behavior Standards Ethical Higher Standards Moral Issues Ethical Behavior

Author:Derek Bok

“Efforts to develop critical thinking falter in practice because too many professors still lecture to passive audiences instead of challenging students to apply what they have learned to new questions.”

Thinking Stills Challenges Effort Practice Audience Students Critical Professors Passive Lectures Critical Thinking

Author:Derek Bok

“There are no tests similar to SATs to tell us how much undergraduates know. State legislators, who appropriate billions of dollars each year to higher education, are naturally interested in finding out what they are getting for their money.”

Knows Years States Higher Findings Tests Dollars Billions Sat Appropriate Legislators Higher Education

Author:Derek Bok

“Although professors regard improving critical thinking as the most important goal of college, tests reveal that seniors who began their studies with average critical thinking skills have progressed only from the 50th percentile of entering freshmen to about the 69th percentile.”

Thinking Important Goal Study College Skills Tests Regard Average Critical Professors Senior Improving Entering Critical Thinking Freshman

Author:Derek Bok

“Colleges and universities, for all the benefits they bring, accomplish far less for their students than they should. Many students graduate without being able to write well enough to satisfy their employers... reason clearly or perform competently in analyzing complex, non-technical problems.”

Should Writing Wells Reason Enough Problem Able Students College Benefits Complexes University Accomplish Graduates Employers Analyzing Colleges And Universities

Book:Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More

Source: Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More

“Critics of American colleges typically attribute the failings of undergraduate education to a tendency on the part of professors to neglect their teaching to concentrate on research. In fact, the evidence does not support this thesis, except perhaps in major research universities.”

Doe Facts Support Failing Teaching College Majors Research Evidence Critics University Tendencies Neglect Professors Attributes Thesis Undergraduate

Author:Derek Bok

“Despite the hours spent debating different models of general education, the choices faculties make rarely lead to any significant difference in the cognitive development of undergraduates.”

Different Choices Hours Differences Development Models Significant Despite Faculty Cognitive General Education

Author:Derek Bok

“I don't think the alternative to Yale is jail by any means. On the other hand, there is a mass of research that does show that there are real advantages to your subsequent career in going to selective institutions.”

Thinking Mean Doe Real Shows Hands Careers Mass Research Advantage Institutions Alternatives Jail Selective Yale

Author:Derek Bok

“I think any self-respecting educational institution ought to judge its policies by its best estimate of what their long-term consequences for their students and for the society will be.”

Thinking Long Self Term Policy Students Judging Ought Consequence Institutions Educational Long Term Educational Institutions

Author:Derek Bok

About the Author

Born: March 22, 1930
Known for: Lawyer
Quotes: 36

Related Topics

Thinking Students College University Professors Graduates Harvard Higher Problem Teaching

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning MoreRelated source material

Universities and the Future of AmericaRelated source material

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