But what is "useful" begs the question of what the focus should be? If "useful" is measured by econometrics, then I would disagree. The entire econometrics approach I think dangerously encroaches upon academic freedom. Universities are not trade schools--if you want to learn a vocation, there are learning centers with that focus. Not to say anything bad about a vocationally oriented education, but that is something that I think is vastly different than the pursuit of knowledge. If universities are to become vocationally oriented, then the agenda should just be put out there and made clear.

Thanks all, for the suggestions...I have given up for the time being. Microsoft's table wins this round. I may just reproduce these things in text format. Excel requires a higher brain power than I have/want to obtain. I would be most at home, technologically speaking, I believe, with a stone tablet and a chisel. Pre-wheel of course.

If everything is to be judged by its economic worth, then shut all the museums, get rid of the historical sites that do not fund themselves with ( American?! ) tourists, halt all things like clear blue skies, bird song, art appreciation, medieval music in choral evensong, nice sunrises and sunsets, and so forth. The idea of measuring everything in terms of money/economics is really infuriating. Academia should be more than a training ground for corporate wage slaves.

Capitalistic measures may have their place in some fields, but in academia as a whole? What about things like art? Should people only produce art if it has economic value? Many of the Impressionist painters were not appreciated in their lifetimes, but gained their master status over time. Should the value of their work then or now be reduced to its economic impact ( which presumably is none?)

Is the latest buzz word about academia not about "econometrics", with the value of education being measured in purely vocational terms, ie. what sort of profession it equips you for, more money in your wages or salary, etc? EEEKKK!!!!! Doesn't knowledge have value in and of itself? Must everything be reduced to dollars and cents...er pounds and pence, or whatever monetary unit you want? Did ancient Greeks sit around and figure out the value of their knowledge on some kind of stock market scale? NO.

The value of a liberal arts education is to teach you how to THINK critically. The value of knowledge in a variety of academic discipines is not something which can or should be or benefits from being reduced to its monetary value.

http://www.mtfudge.com/regional.html

Here I was wondering if chocolate and trout had ever been put together--and SURE ENOUGH! YOu can get your very own chocolate Montana Trophy Trout, just in time for Valentines Day!

I was not particularly aware of the mouth breather trout speaking, but you know, anything is possible!

Mouth breather--its a kind of trout found in the American West.

Smilodon's famous cat!

Hmmm..does the Evil Fuzzy have a dayjob as the Cat Microsoft Help Icon?!

Thanks all for the suggestions--I have tried these but keep getting some strange formatting...oh well. I have enough to take to my supervision meeting anyway! I will just confess my inability to make the table print the way I wanted... On the plus side, I have enjoyed interacting with the Microsoft help cartoon. I made mine a dog! Its cute and it barks! So much better than that annoying paperclip thing!

The US has no equivalent really to a PhD in law. There are SJD degrees, but they are only offered in a few universities and are highly restrictive to get into. The law degree route is via a professional doctorate and then an LL.M. ( masters in law) if you want some kind of speciality, but most of the offerings in the US are business focused. So I get the double whammy of not only explaining why I am doing a PhD, but trying to explain how the British system of legal degrees is nothing like the US system! The US approach to law is very much black letter law, and reading boring case law decisions--little focus on theory, etc. So the entire notion of a PhD in law is very alien to the way people in the US even think of learning law. In my case, I tell them that it sort of looks like sociology or political science...generally this is enough information to make people flee.

When I punted my job and said I was moving to another country in order to finish my PhD, people had varying reactions. People close to me knew it was important to me and were supportive, because of its importance to me, even if they did not fully understand it. Other people didn't really understand...that annoying thing of trivializing the work and stress of a PhD. It reminds me of an old saying, which I am not going to get exactly right, something along the lines of, for those who understand, no explanation is necessary, for those who do not understand, no explanation will ever suffice.

Thanks for the offer of help! The table is cut off, some of the right hand cells do not show up, and no matter how I try to manipulate this, it does not print off right...

But on the bright side, you have people to talk to!
This seems like it should not be taken for granted during the PhD process.