Show 0 Utah Tech Leaders Discuss Di Students Students' f cuss Career Options ons ns f s fj gyp Pres Carnahan Record Signup Sign up Recorded for Winter Quarter A record sig signup up bf of f students have T v ve o e oU lf qU rt rf at t UJ Utah ii t-i t ec I at S Salt lt Lake according according ac- ac cording to Dr Orville Oryille D. D Carnahan Carnah n president of the college The Th registrations represent more or students this quarter than last wi winter ter quarter The 1 1982 82 figure showed a student increase compared compared compared com com- pared to last years figures While the 1983 winter quarter figure fall short of last autumns autumn's e enrollment it is within 15 time full-time equivalent at of last fall quarters quarter's record high Carnahan notes that nearly 35 percent of the enrollment is female students Veterans account for of the total registrations or 79 percent percent percent per per- cent of registrations Within the state of Utah 87 percent percent percent per per- cent of the students come from Salt Lake county 56 from Davis county and slightly less than 2 percent each from Tooele and Utah counties Of the counties there is student student stu stu- student dent representation from all except Beaver Daggett Kane Piute and Rich Nevada and Wyoming students head th the state out-of-state representation And there are 31 foreign students from Thailand Peru Pakistan Nigeria Nethe Netherlands lands Jordan Japan Iran England Columbia Columbia Columbia Col Col- China and Canada For many high school graduates study at a technical or community college is the surest quickest and most m st satisfying route to job security and anda a dependable income That's the conviction of Dr Orville D. D Carnahan president of Utah Tech Hes He's concerned because many U apparently dont don't believe believe believe be be- lieve this and numerous Utah students students students stu stu- dents are both unaware of the opportunities currently urr available in technical fields and unprepared to enter technical programs of study Too many high school graduates simply dont don't kI know ow where they are going in life or what they want todo todo to todo do says Dr Max S. S Lowe vice- vice president for instruction at the col col- lege We had students last many year who started at a university then transferred to U Utah tan Tech because they wanted a a. field of study that makes s t per personalities er iti itis s s and helps helpS th them m earn earn what they consider to be a good living he adds Dr Carnahan a veteran technical community cal cal community college educator says vocational courses often offer the most direct route to satisfying employment Usually these classes are more directly centered career-centered and require fewer so-called so advanced advanced advanced ad ad- academic or general education education education tion trimmings He quickly notes however r that far too many students who try to register at Utah Tech are inadequately inadequately inadequately prepared in basic subjects Many do not have the necessary scholastic background to succeed at atour atour atour our college A high percentage of entering students have to take what we call Tech Pre studies to raise their basic skills up to the minimum levels before they qualify to enter regular coursework Carnahan says According to the Utah Technical College catalog the Technical Pre Pre PreT T program upgrades student skills in mathematics reading communications study skills and human rela rela- We have hav some people who need to kno know ho how to read the president this college college college col col- continues Some courses at lege r require quire or grade levels levels' of perform performance nce in basic skills Dr Low indicates A basic requirement for a student in electronics electronics electronics elec elec- is calculus but students with witha a good general understanding of English and math are able to ha handle dle most of our courses Both administrators believe a far higher percentage of Utah high school graduates should choose the technical or vocational college route and that all high school students should b be better grounded in fundamentals funda funda- They should says Lowe be educated so they have a full range rang of options in pursuing their career goals And he adds with our economy changing so fast trying to keep up with adva advancing cing technologies t technologies techno techno- logies today's college students are going ng to have to m make ke several career adjustments during their work- work lives The old days of training for a career and then working in it allones allone's all allone's allones allones allone's ones one's life are gone one forever But aC according to Dr Carnahan we cannot blame only the students for their unrealistic academic tion He thinks parents are much to blame because they want their children chil- chil dl dren prestige get i i car c cers cf r f r- r a t- t r m.-r ers su such 1 as S medicine hedi in or or r l law w. w Tl These se sesame same same parents at the same time put excessive pressure o on teachers to give their chil children ren high grades One reason that grades have been so inflated in recent recent- years is that teachers have responded to parental pressure says Lowe Both Utah Tech leaders advise high h gh school students to make ea earlier li r career choices to take more solid high school courses and to take tal e studies studies studies stu stu- dies more seriously Lowe believes it to be particularly u. u important for students Uto to to take the necessary interest inventory counseling counseling counseling coun coun- and testing to learn what kind of careers they can handle and enjoy and in which they can be pro pro- Such tests are not infallible but they most often indicate areas in which success is most probable A student whose parents want him to become a doctor Dr Lowe continues might find that he would be both more successful and a lot happier in say electronics Conversely Conversely Conversely Conver Conver- sely a student wanting to be a computer computer computer com com- puter operator may find he or she has the skills and aptitudes for being being be be- eing e- e ing a successful attorney Although neither Carnahan nor Lowe addressed the matter directly Utah Technical its it's clear they they- see College at Salt Lake as as a high ity demanding technical college far from a place for unprepared or unmotivated students The best insurance for job security security security ity still if performance Lowe says And Dr Carnahan concludes The best way this college can serve both students and the state is to encourage encourage encourage en en- courage excellence in personal study and professional instruction |