Tag Archives: Middlebury

The Best Leader is the First Follower

Posted on by Ryan K.

My job is to think about how Middlebury College approaches this:

Middlebury, and many other great educational institutions, are all about leaders. That’s how you get in — show leadership. But once you’re here, too many try to bypass others in their attempt at glory. Why contribute to a pre-existing student organization when you can be the president of a new one, AND put that on your resume. We don’t have a culture of collaboration or of being that first follower.

How do we reward following when we’re told to reward leadership?

Am I a Video Activist?

Posted on by Ryan K.

From Boston Globe this morning, “For young activists, video is their voice“:

While serious in purpose, video activism sometimes draws on the approach pioneered by entertainment-oriented videos. A group of Middlebury College students in a course called “Sustainable Television’’ recently embarked on a class project to draw attention to the campus recycling center.

Rather than take an earnest but potentially dull public-service-announcement approach, the students sent their message in the form of a “lip-dub’’ video: The camera moved from student to student in a single long take as they danced to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer’’ while lip-synching lyrics with an environmental message.

“The idea was to get them thinking about recycling in a new way,’’ said Ryan Kellett, 23, who helped create that segment and a video called “See Beyond the Car’’ that promoted environmentally friendly alternative transportation. “There’s something very authentic and genuine about it, because we’re students and we’re targeting our own population, as opposed to some corporation or even nonprofit saying they’re designing public service announcements targeted to young people.’’

The recycling and transportation videos, along with 10 other segments created by the class on such topics as clean water, daily energy use, and house weatherization, were uploaded to the Middlebury server so the entire university could take a peek, and then to YouTube.

Jason Mittell, an associate professor of American studies and film and media culture who teaches the “Sustainable Television’’ course, says there is a lesson here for organizations about how to reach contemporary audiences. “We are living in an era in which we communicate using new media forms,’’ Mittell said. “If you want to engage younger people, you have to do it on these platforms.’’

The Study Abroad Blog

Posted on by Ryan K.

I was talking with some of my fellow MiddBlog editors last week, and an idea jumped to mind as we chatted about recruiting new bloggers on campus: most students start their first blog when they go abroad. The question is how to get them to keep blogging once they return home to the States and Middlebury.

Going abroad somehow is justification enough to start blogging. There’s something about the newness of the experiences combined with the necessity to communicate home to worried parents and friends that makes blogs perfect. Check out this blog from a friend in Chile — he used it to say he was safe after the earthquake.

But the question for our Middlebury community blog is this: is it better to bring on people who’ve blogged before or people who are well plugged-in to the community and its issues? I would say it’s rare to get someone who’s both engaged in community issues and an avid blogger.

The Middlebury Affinity Credit Card

Posted on by Ryan K.

With the new credit card rules coming into effect this week, now’s as good a time as any to get thinking about credit cards. I’ve only had one credit card my entire life. One. It’s a Student Platinum whatever. Fancy title, very little benefit other than to build a credit history for the last many years. Basically many years ago, the bank decided it was okay to let have a credit card because I had a checking/savings account with them since I was three.

Today, I asked to switch to a Brighter Planet card. Yes, I believe in “saving the environment” — the card buys carbon offsets as the “reward” for your credit card purchases. But that’s not really why I chose it.

A Brighter Planet card is like a school affinity card. For instance, folks who graduate from Penn State can get a Penn State credit card. Yes, lots of universities do just this, even for incoming freshmen students. But for Middlebury, there is Brighter Planet. It’s an alumnus-started company located in, you guessed it, Middlebury Vermont. I reckon’ having one is like having the Middlebury decal on the back window of your Subaru — a dead giveaway that you’re a Middkid.

Interestingly, the bank doesn’t really see the card as a rewards card (like cash back, travel “miles,” etc.), even though you accrue points toward planting trees or supporting renewable energy. That’s why I could so easily transfer my currently useless credit card in an instant — no need to actually apply for a new account, affecting credit scores, etc.

Graduate School is the New Undergrad

Posted on by Ryan K.

When people ask what I am doing after (working at) Middlebury, I usually say I don’t know what I AM doing, but I am NOT going to grad school. I am opposed to going to grad school without knowing what I should be going FOR. Is there no such thing as graduate school for the continuing liberal arts student?

But today, I got some good advice from some of my elders here at Middlebury today — go to grad school in a broad-based subject area that can be widely applied. So, what keeps my options open and actually helps me get a (better) job?

I’ve been looking at:

  • Doctor in Educational Leadership at Harvard University: As Harvard’s newest Ph.D. program, to me this is the right blend of business, social awareness, and practical experience. From a more broad perspective, education goes deep with people and this country’s education system needs a brain investment (not a cousin of the brain drain…). I know because I’ve been to China, if that counts as a qualification. I’m going to say I probably can’t get in to a program like this but I believe strongly that other bright people should look into this. Alternative: Joint MA in Education and MBA at Stanford.
  • Studio 20 (Journalism) at NYU: Let me be clear, I’m unsure what journalism school teaches you that you can’t hash out on your own but this is a program about adapting journalism to the web — an critical task at a critical time in journalism. A partnership with NYTimes to produce the East Village Local Blog doesn’t hurt either.
  • Master of Management Studies (MMS) at Duke University: Although you have to convince me why I shouldn’t wait a few years and then get an MBA, this is an interesting idea if just for the novelty. Spend less than a year, get a masters, and boost your chances of actually getting an entry level job in consulting, finance, or marketing positions that wouldn’t hire the liberal arts kid right out of school with no summer internship.
  • Peace Corps Masters of Public Administration at MIIS: Peculiar program but combining study with Peace Corps just seems logical.

Other ideas? Combinations of Education, Business, Journalism? No, I’m not going to school to learn about social media. And I’m not saying I want to go grad school right now but I like to keep the ideas stirring.