Students: Who do you think was smarter in college—you or your parents? Or rather, who do you think had the best chance of being successful in school? The answers to those questions may not be as straightforward as you think. A lot has changed since 1972, when the campus was first founded. Buildings have been added, technology has improved, and there are more resources than ever available to students. So, are students more intelligent today than they were in previous years? Mark Morehouse, a UC Clermont alum, would dare to say “yes.”
Mark Morehouse graduated from UC Clermont in in 1978 with an associate’s degree in accounting. During his time at the campus, he also wrote for the school paper. He later went on to receive a bachelor’s in management, and an MBA at Morehead. He has worked with newspapers, government, accounting, and now volunteers at Mercy Hospital.
Since his time at UC Clermont, Morehouse says the campus has become nearly unrecognizable, and that it isn’t a bad thing.
A greater, more diverse number of students are now able to get their education. High school students, single parents, people working 40+ hours a week, returning students and more can all be found at the campus. Online classes allow students to do their work at home and on their schedules. The faculty-to-student ratio is much higher than in previous decades. These are just a few of the benefits he mentioned. Out of all the resources now available at Clermont, Morehouse says The Learning Center would have been the most useful to former students (click here to view a quick video of TLC).
Another great thing about Clermont, he says, is that students don’t always come in with an exact plan concerning what they want to do. “You don’t always end up where you expect,” Morehouse said. “You need to find your niche.” This statement applies to him as well. Morehouse tells The Lantern that he nearly dropped out of school. Instead, he ended up taking business classes at night, and then went on to further his education.
Mark Morehouse is working to become a more active alum and is spending more time on the campus, usually visiting every other Thursday. If you see him, feel free to stop and chat, he says. Morehouse’s goal is to get to know what life is like for students, and offer them any advice they might need.
“Everything you learn has a purpose,” says Morehouse. Though many students may think that the history they are learning won’t serve them later in life, or wonder if they really need to take that upper-level math course, they should understand that knowledge in and of itself is never a waste. The more you experience, the more likely you are to find your “niche” and be successful in life.
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