欧林：打造工程教育的“实验室”(下)--访欧林工学院校长理查德·米勒

Olin:Becoming a “Collaboratory” for Innovation in Engineering Education(Ⅱ)——An Interview with Olin College of Engineering Richard K.Miller,President

访谈继而展开的话题,涉及欧林学生必备的品质、男女生对半的招生目标、"工程学是什么"、欧林教育追求的"三目标"、传播欧林观念的"暑期学院"、培养社会变革积极力量的教育改革、再建一所大学的"模式"构思等。米勒校长认为,耐心、毅力比智力或学业成绩,更能有效预测个人成功;让学生为人生做好准备,是欧林比培养工程师更重要的使命;工程师关注的是自我表达和创造新事物,欧林学生在毕业之前要完成25~35个项目;将学生作为人来关心,激发学生的学习,培育学生的梦想;生活中重要的事情既不会轻易实现,也不具有确定性,要确保自己的一生都奉献在有价值的事情上;高等院校中最重要的因素是人,要真正以学生为中心。

The second half of the interview focuses on the following topics：the most important qualities for students to successfully finish school,the recruitment goal of a fifty-fifty male-to-female student ratio,defining＂engineering＂,three current goals for Olin,the Summer Institute that spreads Olin＇s idea,educating the next generation to be a positive force for wide-ranging change in society,the ideal＂model＂of building another new school,etc.In President Miller＇s viewpoint,＂patience＂and＂perseverance＂are more effective in predicting personal success than intellectual or academic achievements;in addition to producing engineers,Olin has an even higher calling,namely,to prepare its students for life;engineers are about self-expression and creating new things,and the average student at Olin completes twenty-five to thirty-five design-build projects before they graduate;education at Olin is strongly student-centered,focusing on caring about the student as a person,inspiring the student＇s learning,and nurturing his or her dreams;nothing important in life happens easily and is certain,so you are sure to dedicate your life to something that matters;the most important thing in universities is people,and student-centered approach should be given high priority.