Vance Fried, a professor of management at Oklahoma State University, has applied an interesting idea to the standard model of college.  He essentially tried to create a theoretical model of a college aimed at the “value” customer, the kind of student who wants a high-quality product at a reasonable (but not cheap) price.  As an example, Fried says this student would be more likely to buy a 22K Toyota than either a 10K Chevy or a 105K Mercedes – because the Toyota is the smartest buy for the money.  He called his theoretical college the ”College of Entrepreneurial Leadership & Society (CELS).”  Not a very attractive name, but he’s a management professor, not a creative writing professor.  

CELS will offer a broad curriculum that provides students with a strong liberal education, appropriate technical skill for entry level+1 jobs, potential to be general manager of an organization in their chosen profession early in their career, plus foundational skills and knowledge for life outside of work. Majors will be offered in Behavioral Science, Business, Communication Arts, Education, Engineering Science, Information Technology, Letters & Civilization (interdisciplinary humanities), Public Affairs and Science & Technology.

Fried explains that CELS would cost ”under $8,000 per student.”  This is per year.  He then explains that his college doesn’t cut corners: “[A] laptop is included in tuition, the Division III football stadium has a Jumbotron, etc.”  This is all very fascinating, and Friend suggests that he designed his theoretical college using a few common sense ideas, including getting rid of highly specialized and fragmented majors: “Intellectually fragmented arts and science majors and highly specialized professional majors are not appropriate for an undergraduate education.”  Sounds very classical.  Fried’s model also sounds like a common sense university that would give students, their parents, and the world what it needs.  Its existence doesn’t eliminate graduate schools elsewhere, where CELS graduates can get more specialized educations in language, law, medicine, literature, theology, etc.  I love it.  Let’s do this now.