Karl Marx, (1818-1883) among other things has provided us with one of the classical sociological models called structural class theory. In this model he identifies five different levels or groups within society, the highest level of which he calls the capitalists, who the owners of the means of production and the lowest level he describes as the proletarians, the production workers. The essence of his theory and similar ones is that our society is socially stratified, hence we have the upper class, the middle class, the lower class etc. Generally speaking, this stratification is also reflected in other areas of society, for example a $100,000.00 luxury car would be marketed to the so-called upper classes while a $17,000.00 car would be marketed to the so-called lower classes.
Among other areas within society, this theory is also applied to education. In general, parents strive, plan and aspire to provide the best of everything for their children. For their children’s college education, (which is very expensive these days) parents save, invest, work extra, refinance, sell, barter and borrow in order to finance their children’s college education. Accordingly, parents try to provide the best and most valuable educational opportunities for their children. For many U.S. parents, the Ivy League and near-Ivy League Universities symbolize the quality and class of education to which they aspire for their children, because for them Ivy League schools offer premium education.
That is understandable. The leader of the pack, Harvard, will celebrate its 375th year in 2011. These schools are wealthy, they have high achieving students, brilliant and renowned scholars and they attract much federal and other research grants. Like the “rich young ruler” of the New Testament however, they lack one thing. Southern Adventist University, as well as parents, can hold their heads high and we can be proud of our University. With high-achieving students and alumni, brilliant and nurturing faculty and staff, a supportive, holistic, Christ-centered and dynamic spiritual and moral environment with Christian service permeating its practices and curricula, not only does Southern offer premium academic instruction, it also offers premium education, the one that educates mind, spirit and body, the one that prepares its students for a life of Christian service and the one that prepares its students for the present life and the life to come. What more could a parent ask for?
For Southern’s educational experience parents can aptly say “this is Premium”.