Elaine Tuttle Hansen
[5] Hansen released an internal memo to the Bates community in late March 2003 regarding the U.S. invasion or Iraq,[6] noting the campus protests and the resolution passed by the student government's representative assembly condemning the armed conflict.
In the note, Hansen outlined the current economic climate as being in a period of "declining markets, higher costs of borrowing, the potential impact on giving (i.e. fundraising, endowment spending, etc).
She later commented, "I recognize that these are times of stress and concern for all, but I want you to know that the Trustees and I have every confidence in the strength and perseverance of this institution and the entire Bates community.
"[15] On February 5, 2008, she alerted the Bates community about a letter sent to 136 U.S. colleges and universities by the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus and Charles Grassley.
After stepping down from the Bates College presidency, Hansen joined the leadership of The Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University.
She defined her top priory for the future of The Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University by stating:The evolving role of online learning and hybrid educational programs will serve the needs of the most academically advanced students particularly well.
Our increased understanding of how the human brain functions will enhance our ability to identify and nurture the most exceptional minds and improve the educational experiences of all learners.
Hansen states: Although it seems clear that new, unprecedented pressures have recently called into question the meaning of mother, this assumption nonetheless simplifies the history of the term.
[30] She dismissed the claim that "grit" or "a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal,"[30] was the ultimate predictor of academic success, ahead of a students intelligence quotient (I.Q.
She has stated that although "teachers are being directed to educate students to struggle, take risks and persist against adversity," they fail to acknowledge those who excel, thus discounting their performance and contributions.
Hansen stated that "in the rush to add grit to the lesson plan, we risk leaping from anecdote to antidote, and making assumptions about the correlation, or not, between effort and intelligence.
From kindergarten through college, we must think harder about what we're saying when we focus on test scores, eliminate honors and AP classes, and cut what little financing exists for research on gifted students.
Even as experts and pundits talk about the global achievement gap and the importance of creativity and innovation, few ask how we can raise the ceiling for the students already above the floor.
[32]Her comments in the article were picked up by National Public Radio (NPR), where Michel Martin criticized her stance on a students road to a university.
She has dismissed arguments brought forward by academics issuing that liberal arts colleges tend to disparage and undermine students who wish to participate in fields such as finance, business, and accounting.
Author and 27th president of Dickinson College, William G. Durden charged liberal arts leaders with creating an elitist, “separatist” perspective.
The shift from de-emphasizing individual performance and achievement, to general “authentically chosen” activities generating “emotional and ethical awareness and skills," is, according to Hansen, "doing more harm than good.
Hansen states that low-income students can't easily find the specific jobs and work experience required of them to fill subjective and speculative metrics.
She goes on to state that "we know too little about how and when to identify, characterize, measure and develop the so-called noncognitive aspects of learning that this report asks colleges to evaluate.
And I disagree that the gateway to college is the time or place to subject young people to the full impact of our ignorance about how to fairly assess things they should still be questioning and exploring -- like character, feelings, motives and values.
