Professor Elam

Ben Stein is the son of the famous economist Herb Stein.  Ben shot to fame in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as the droll assistant principal. In addition to writing about financial matters and appearing on Neal Cavuto’s Saturday morning finance show, he has a successful career in the movies and on commercials. 

Here is his advice for the new college student.   Now our students at UNT Dallas are not 18 year old freshmen, but the advice rings pretty true.  Read the assignments ahead of class (few of your fellow students  do), ask reasoned questions grounded in fact, be presentable, not shabby in class, take math courses, and read  literature.  I am not particularly keen on the necessity of learning Roman and Greek literature as much of it  is or was simply there invention of their fictional action heroes of the day.  The Greek God Mercury certainly has his counterpart in Marvel Comics’ Flash.  Batman can certainly trace his lineage to the very first British superhero, Beowulf, .  The Iliad  set the framework for fables of good triumphing over evil that are repeated to this day. Indeed, Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame and Harry Potter battle pretty much the same villains in a near religious quest for justice.  Such stories span thousands of years and are still popular.  Why?

As Patton remarks in his speech to the Third Army, Americans (and everyone else) love a winner and canto tolerate a loser.  Britain has nothing of particular merit in its history so to make folks feel better about themselves, tales of Beowulf and then  King Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere  to embellish the fictional accomplishments of the British.  And so it goes, Sherlock Holmes had his Moriarty, Harry Potter has his ‘Name that shall not be spoken,’   Valdemort.

Lonesome Dove  is yet another modern Iliad in which noble characters are on a journey of adventure.  My point is that a study of literature reveals common themes throughout the ages.

One thing students remark to me about  is just how quickly the four or five semesters seem to go.  Indeed that is true.  We think you will enjoy your time at UNT Dallas.  You can avoid the hassles of parking and large classes one enc outers at, well, large universities. You will get to know your teacher and your other students. MY point is that time is short and swift, make the most of your commitment to higher education.  This is not just your commitment but one that your family  must embrace also. They need to recognize your time for study and probably start shouldering some of the chores you once accomplished.  Make the most of this brief opportunity, because once gone, there is no getting it back.
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Whatever your field of study, there are commonalities that all of you should embrace.  Whale students say they read on the internet, this usually turns out to be much more about pop culture than their chosen field of study.  Find the websites that relate to your studies, read them daily, be up on current events in your field. Identify the movers and shakers and read their books and articles. Subscribe to magazine and periodicals about your major.  This blog is all about linking what we study in class with what happens in that famous real world.  Reading such articles will as they say make your studies come alive.

Welcome back to those returning and welcome aboard to those of you joining us for the first time. You have made the right choice to achieve a BA degree, start making the most of it today.