Impostor's Syndrome

MUSINGS FROM THE DEAN

I had a rural background, attending school in a small town in northern Indiana. When I went to college, I realized that I was entering the "big time." I did not "feel" smart, and I knew that my classmates were coming from city high schools that had many more resources than my little school. Besides, I was from a family that had not sent anyone to college until my older brother went a few years earlier. How could I compete successfully?

Even though I was getting good grades, I still did not "feel" smart, so I assumed that I was slipping past--remaining under the radar without revealing the truth that I was a mediocre student, undeserving of the grades the professors mistakenly gave me. Somehow I was able to fool them for four years and graduate with honors.

However, I was sure that my dirty little secret would be discovered in seminary at Southern Methodist University. This was a major research university, and the professors there would not be taken in by my overinflated record. I knew that I would be exposed at any moment, revealed as the impostor that I was. Miraculously, I managed to remain undetected for another four years, and I tricked Vanderbilt University into admitting me to its Ph.D. program in the Graduate School of Religion.

I distinctly remember being in a seminar class during my first week there, listening to the discussion and thinking, "Oh, crap! I'm really out of my league here! The professor will expose me in class and ask me to leave since I obviously don't belong." I threw in a few comments, trying my best to sound intelligent, but I clearly did not measure up to the standards of my classmates who were so erudite.

I also remember the day two years later, having lunch with some of those same classmates, when one reminisced about our beginnings. He remarked about being in that seminar class and thinking to himself, "Oh, crap! I'm really out of my league here! The professor will expose me in class and ask me to leave since I obviously don't belong." Then it dawned on us: we were all pretty smart folks who felt inadequate--like impostors.

Later still I learned the label for that feeling, "Impostor's Syndrome," which, it turns out, is common among a significant number of students. It is particularly common among first-generation college students, but it can strike anyone. You earned your way into an academically rigorous college, but you don't "feel" smart, and you were trained to be humble, so you believe that you don't belong here with all these other students, who truly are smart.

Of course, being smart is not something you feel; it is something you do. Being smart means working hard, recognizing when you need assistance, and committing yourself to achieving your highest potential. Therefore, there are no impostors here at Maryville College, only those that have not yet unlocked their potential.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College

What the Liberal Arts Are NOT

THE DEAN'S MUSINGS

Those of us committed to liberal arts education seem to be fighting an uphill battle in communicating the true nature of the liberal arts. Perhaps the first task is to disabuse the public of misconceptions.

Originally there were seven liberal arts, divided into two sections known by their Latin names, the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) and the trivium (logic, grammar, and rhetoric). These areas of inquiry were considered appropriate for a free person (Latin: liber) in contrast to manual skills that were appropriate for slaves.

Obviously, things have changed over the centuries. Other disciplines were added to the list, and some of the traditional ones slipped away or were subsumed in the newer areas. During this century, many referred to the liberal arts as certain disciplines that were considered "traditional" as opposed to those areas that are associated with particular careers. In addition, colleges that referred to themselves as "liberal arts colleges" developed general education programs that consisted of a menu of courses in those traditional disciplines. We are familiar with them: English, History, Philosophy, Economics, Mathematics, Science, etc.

It is interesting to note that at the beginning of the twentieth century Harvard did not recognize Chemistry as a proper discipline for a true university; it was considered a "trade" skill. In recent decades scholars have recognized that to limit "the liberal arts" to a list of specific disciplines would not be adequate. Knowledge was changing too quickly, and disciplines did not separate into neat, mutually exclusive "silos." Therefore, the language in higher education is shifting from "the liberal arts" to "liberal education." We no longer speak of a static collection of knowledge to be memorized but a way of approaching the world--or, more accurately, several ways of approaching the world.

Liberal education involves different ways of analyzing questions or problems and developing answers or solutions. Each question or problem may lend itself to a particular method of analysis: scientific (natural and social), humanistic, artistic, empirical, philosophical. We must learn these different methods and gain the ability to discern their appropriate applications. In complex cases, several methods must be applied in order to achieve the best possible solution or answer. The liberally educated individual will have the tools to perform such a complex analysis.

In one sense there is no such thing as "a liberal arts major" because no single discipline can encompass the depth and breadth of the true liberal arts--or using the new terminology, a liberal education. In another sense every major at Maryville College is a liberal arts major because every student--whether a history major or a business major, a religion major or a sign language interpreting major--is receiving the liberal education necessary to perform the complex analyses required in the modern world.

What are the liberal arts NOT? The liberal arts are NOT discreet bodies of particular knowledge that are limited to only certain areas of life. They are NOT ethereal musings that have nothing to do with the "real world" where people must get jobs and live their lives. The liberal arts constitute the foundation of all disciplines and the thinking skills that we as individuals and as a world community must have in order to survive.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College

Searching for Hope

MUSINGS FROM THE DEAN

During my years is Virginia, I began to learn a great deal about autism, or more properly, autism spectrum disorders. As is widely known, the instances of disorders that range from Asberger's syndrome to disabling autism are increasing, and it happened that southern Virginia was a "hot spot" for autism. The grandson of an acquaintance was so afflicted, and my friend was in a financial position to provide many different kinds of therapies in an attempt to effect improvement. That's when I learned that there are many therapies but very little research to substantiate the effectiveness of most of them.

That is why I am so excited about research in our campus. Ariane Schratter is leading the study of the use of service dogs with children with severe autism. Every summer families come to the campus to be trained in the use of these dogs, and that begins with the trials on how well the presence of the dog helps the child to connect with his or her environment in a meaningful way. The dog is tethered to the child twenty-four hours a day and is trained to respond to the child's behavior--with the intent to eliminate improper behaviors--and to provide a safe "other" with whom to interact.

Anecdotes are quite astonishing. Children that never make eye-contact with people will look the dog fully in the face. Children that never speak begin to say a few words to the dog. Children that could not be in a busy environment without having a tantrum can enter a large department story without incendent. The dogs are also trained to keep the children safe by "taking them down" (without injuring them!) if they bolt toward danger.

Please notice that I began the preceding paragraph with the word "anecdotes" because, while the stories are encouraging--even hopeful--they do not constitute scientific evidence. Are there enough cases to warrant drawing statistically significant conclusions about this mode of therapy? If it does not work in every case, what factors seem correlated with the successes and failures? Does the age of the child, the size of the dog, the training of the dog, or the severity of the child's autism affect the outcome? Learning the answers to these questions (and others) is important in the development of methods that can transform a child that is uncommunicative and perhaps destructive into an adult that contributes to the community.

I am very pleased to know that Maryville College is a part of the work that can make such a big difference in the world.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College

The Art of Persuasion

THE DEAN'S MUSING

In a society in which citizens participate in a system of self-governance, two important skills contribute the the health of that society. First, citizens must be able to discern the realities they face, critically analyzing the complex forces that affect their lives. To put it more simply, they must be able to uncover "the Truth." Maryville College's commitment to the liberal arts--critical thinking--grows out of Isaac Anderson's understanding (like Thomas Jefferson) that an educated citizenry is essential for democracy. This has become an accepted axiom.

The second skill is sometimes overlooked. Because the Truth is complicated and constantly debated, we must be able to persuade others of positions that we hold. Particularly during election years, we see campaigners use a variety of methods to persuade the electorate of superiority of this or that candidate. Even beyond political campaigns, commentators and bloggers continually attempt to persuade audiences, readers, and anyone that will listen to believe the positions they hold--or, it seems, to dissuade those audiences of an alternative point of view.

In the latter case, I observe the greatest number of logical fallacies or simple non sequiturs. The three most common fallacies are (1) red herring, (2) straw man, and (3) ad hominem. A "red herring" argument involves speaking to an issue other than the one in quesiton. For example, if one raises the issue of capital punishment in a discussion about abortion, that is a red herring. A "straw man" argument attempts to state the other point of view in such a negative way that most people would be repulsed by it. "The other side wants to control the stray cat population by putting kittens in a sack and throwing them in a pond." An "ad hominem" attack ignores the issue altogether and simply attacks the person, which usually involve calling the opponent names.

Often these fallacies are combined. Some group is labelled with an emotionally loaded epithet ("socialist," "Nazi") or a broad category that carries stereotypes ("liberal," "conservative"). Sometimes the label carries its own powerful baggage, so that one doesn't need to add anything. Sometimes the audience is told what to think about the label. "They [fill in the opposition--"liberals" or "consertives"] believe that [fill in some heinous belief--"rich people should be lynched" or "poor babies should be eaten"]. Once that is established, then an individual may be associate with the evil group, and he or she is discredited.

Sadly I have read far too many columnists and heard too many commentators that rely on this lazy style of "persuasion." Rather than performing the hard work of gathering evidence, critically analyzing the data, establishing the logical steps that lead to sound and valid conclusions, they resort to calling others names--the rhetorical equivalent of "Oh yeah, well you're just an old doo-doo head." No group or individual is immune to the temptation to take this easy way, but if our society is to meet the complicated challenges of the future, we must eschew such shortcuts.

Do you believe strongly in a certain position? Great! Form your argument carefully. Persuade me with your evidence and logic, and we will both be wiser.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College

Sustainability: Our Common Responsibility

THE DEAN'S MUSINGS

As I read more about issues relating to our environment--energy use, climate change, water, etc.--I am torn between being inspired to work harder to conserve and protect and being overwhelmed by the scope of the problem. After all, most of the data point to 2050 as the general period when things could get terribly worse. If I live to be 100-years-old, I may see the beginnings of the dire consequences of the planet's energy-consuming, water-wasting ways, but I will miss the collapse of civilization as we know it. Of course, were I to give up on conservation and preservation because I would not experience the worst of the effects, that would be a horribly selfish attitude, leaving future generations to "stew in the juices" that I helped to create.

It seems inevitable that over the next several decades we will face serious environmental challenges. However, if we take the issue of "sustainability" seriously now, we will be better prepared to meet those challenges, and we will lessen the adverse effects of our presence on Earth. And, my younger friends, you should be very interested in this because you will live well into the latter part of this century. Thus, regardless of one's chosen discipline and career, sustainability must become a key facet of one's life.

We need solid scientific thinking to analyze our situation, understand the interactions of our biological and chemical systems, model future outcomes of current practices, and formulate effective changes that will avoid unintended consequences. We need thoughtful humanistic thinking to remind us of what we have done in the past ("those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it"), help us to retain (or regain?) our identity as human beings, and guide us in communicating the problems and solutions effectively. We need creative social scientific thinking to build organizational structures that promote long-term sustainability, shape social systems that value mutual support, and muster the political forces to establish new policies for a better future.

I am very pleased that Maryville College hosts an active environmental movement, with a major devoted to the field, a college committee, and a student committee. Many dedicated individuals among the faculty, staff, and student body continually remind us of our local and global responsibilities to minimize our environmental footprint. The college (at a variety of levels) has already taken many positive steps to make our corner of the planet cleaner and more "earth-friendly." There is much more to be done. For example, we should forswear the use of bottled water. Did you know that the manufacture of a one-liter plastic bottle requires five liters of water? When we drink bottled water, we pay a company an exorbitant price for a public resource, which is delivered to us by truck in plastic bottles that have already used five times as much water as is in the bottle itself.

Many more simple actions exist that will make a difference. If you see an issue to be addressed, please let us know. This is our only home; we must care for it.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College

WHAT'S MY VOCATION?

THE DEAN'S MUSINGS

I recently returned from a conference co-sponsored by the Lilly Foundation and the Council of Independent Colleges. The conference brought together almost one hundred colleges and universities interested in the "theological exploration of vocation."

Maryville College received a generous grant from the Lilly Foundation several years ago to engage in that exploration, and we have enjoyed many benefits from that grant. These benefits include the Initiative on Vocation (led by Dr. Bill Meyer) and the Center for Calling and Career (directed by Mr. Chad Luke)--with strong support from our Center for Campus Ministry (guided by Rev. Anne McKee). The partnership has been very fruitful.

One complication in a discussion concerning "vocation" is the multiple meanings of the word. As an adjective (vocational), it sometimes refers to a kind of education, training persons for a narrowly focused job that has a particular set of skills. In that sense, Maryville College is not a vocational school.

On the other hand, the root meaning of "vocation" is "calling." That meaning is often associated specifically with religious careers, but can be generalized to many kinds of careers and even beyond how one makes a living. As noted at the conference, we may be called to family and citizenship as well as to work.

This led me to think that as we explore vocation at Maryville College, we should be less concerned with the question, "What do I want to do?" as with the question, "Who do I want to be?" The latter question is more fundamental and more difficult to answer. One exercise in helping answer that question may seem a bit macabre, bit I think it is most instructive. Write your own eulogy; consider what you want said about you after you have died. When you have finished your life, how do you want to be remembered? What personal characteristics and behaviors do you want others to associate with you?

If you know who you want to be, then the search for an appropriate life that will support that view becomes easier. In fact, there are many pathways to any particular end, and if you are the person you want to be, any particular job you perform will be secondary. Perhaps one of the missions of Maryville College is to make you the very best you that you can be.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College

Change Requires Hard Work

THE DEAN'S MUSINGS

Maryville College is rich in statements--the Mission Statement, the Identity Statement, the Statement of Purpose, statements dealing with diversity, the covenant, and faith and learning. We also have a branding statement, which I like very much.

"Maryville College offers a rigorous and highly personal experience for students who want to transform their lives and make a difference in the world."

I suppose that many small colleges could make similar claims, but I also know the temptations that small, tuition-driven colleges (like MC) face--especially in economic times such as these. Education (as opposed to job-training) is expensive, partly because it is so labor-intensive. In an attempt to make ends meet, colleges are tempted to relax standards inside and outside of the classroom.

However, if Maryville College and its graduates are to truly "make a difference in the world," the rigor must be maintained. This means that we (faculty and staff) must be held accountable for the quality of the educational experience that we provide and that student must be held accountable for their commitment of time and energy to their own learning and growth.

In order to make a positive change in the world, one must first determine what change needs to be made and second how to go about making that change. Neither of those determinations are made easily; a clear understanding of the pertinent facts, the ability to evaluate evidence, the analytical skills to determine options, the creativity to envision new possibilities, the critical skills to foresee consequences are all components of a process in "making a difference." This is not a job for the ill-prepared.

It is not difficult to recognize problems and even to suggest solutions. But history is replete with "solutions" that have been ineffective or worse. We are not as interested in feeling good about ourselves because we support the right causes as we are committed to making the lives of all people and the conditions of the planet better. Thus, we work hard and we hold each other accountable to high standards. It's the only way we can make a difference in the world.

Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College