A brief note about the role of the institution in a student’s motivation.

As the weeks have passed I’ve been hearing more and more about the sorry state of SIT’s — or at least the MAT program’s — fiscal and morale difficulties. I’ve learned that just before I arrived, the school laid off a significant number of professors, and many of the remaining ones are part-time. Enrollment is at a record low. The Board of Trustees doesn’t support the program relative to the others in the school. And so on.

This has been in part responsible for my decline in enthusiasm for my experience here. I came to this school because it’s world-famous in the field. If it dies a year or two or three after I graduate, what does that mean for me? I was asked to be a student ambassador (along with many other students). How can one believe in something that those who fund it don’t stand behind?

I mention this because it’s an example of how motivation can be associated with the highest layers of education, above the teacher and classroom: the institution itself and how the world perceives it. All this money, all this time and dedicated effort to become an SIT MAT, and for what? I trust that the education itself will be enough, but the school’s reputation is critical. My pride is diminished, and with it, a small measure of my drive.