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Most people assume that because I’m a physics major, I’m a STEM major — but at this college, that acronym doesn’t describe me, and it doesn’t describe anyone else at Hillsdale either.
Sure, I’m majoring in a subject that falls under the STEM categories of science, technology, engineering, and math.
But the acronym is more than a catch-all term for quantitative subjects. It’s a phrase that emerged as the battle cry of a secular education whose ultimate goal is to create a skilled American workforce — an educational philosophy that contrasts with the ultimate goal of Hillsdale College: to develop minds and improve hearts.
Yet even at Hillsdale, a bastion of classical education, many students call themselves STEM majors without realizing the ideological differences — and we don’t even offer technology or engineering degrees.
The term is now so pervasive, it’s the norm in our culture to call any technical subject STEM. But Hillsdale College students should refrain from using this term because it in no way accurately describes the purpose of our science and math courses.
The National Science Foundation introduced the STEM acronym in 2001 as a re-arrangement of the previous term SMET. The improved term rose to prominence in education when President Barack Obama used it to launch “Educate to Innovate” in 2009, a series of education partnerships and funding streams aimed at growing America’s technological workforce.
This is what STEM is — four technical subjects taught for the purpose of practical application in a society.
This contrasts with the liberal arts education offered here at Hillsdale, especially as offered in the core curriculum. Rather than focusing on the practical, a liberal arts education teaches the fundamental ideas and principles behind subjects. In science and math, this approach encourages students to appreciate the natural world for its own sake, and as a result, to appreciate its creator. This is why I came to Hillsdale College to study physics, rather than a renowned research institution.
My friends studying engineering at other colleges know more about fluid dynamics and architectural physics than I do. But my physics curriculum has focused on the core principles behind every idea in physics, which not only gives me a head start in learning almost any concept, but also deepens my appreciation of the underlying beauty and structure of the universe.
The acronym STEM has its place when describing jobs in the workforce, because jobs are, by nature, focused on practical application. Career Services does not need to change the name of the STEM, Healthcare & Research Job Fair.
Practical application of ideas and knowledge, or getting a job, is never a bad goal for education, especially in college. I’ve learned skills to get a job in STEM myself, or in some way my degree would not be fulfilling its purpose.
But the best part about focusing on fundamental ideas is it also prepares people for applying those ideas in many situations. Many Hillsdale College science and math majors go on to have successful careers in STEM jobs.
Instead of using STEM at Hillsdale, it would be more accurate, although nerdy and not as catchy, to use a different term for a four-subject grouping: “Quad” students.
This term originates from the classical education term “quadrivium,” an ancient word for the four liberal arts of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Unlike STEM, the quadrivium focuses on teaching students how to appreciate the beauty and order in nature for its own sake, rather than on how to manipulate nature for their own ends. It also groups music with the natural sciences, highlighting the deep connections between music and mathematics.
The term probably won’t catch on — the residents of Howard Music Hall might protest being associated with Strosaker Science Center — but it’s better than lumping a fundamental and beauty-based education with its practical, secular opposite.
Let’s return to the root of science and math education — not the stem.
Eleanor DeGoffau is a senior studying physics.
