NYT: On Campus, Failure Is on the Syllabus
June 28, 2017
College can be a fertile learning ground for the skills that foster resilience. But first, students have to learn how to deal with failure. Efforts to help students cope with and learn from failure are springing up on college campuses across the country, as highlighted in a New York Times piece by Jessica Bennett, "On Campus, Failure Is on the Syllabus."
According to campus administrators quoted in the piece, students are still focused on conventional metrics of achievement. While they look great on paper, they haven't developed the life skills they need to navigate daily set backs.
The piece highlights programs colleges and universities have created to address the issue, including Davidson's Failure Fund, a series of $150 to $1,000 grants for students who want to pursue a creative endeavor, with no requirements that the idea be viable or work.
