Among the opportunities that summer often brings is the chance to open a book (or power up an e-book) and catch up on our reading. For me, reading has been a lifelong pleasure, one that has enriched every stage of my life, from my earliest years in elementary school to my present role as president of Berkeley College.
Reading has helped to explain mysteries, to expand my knowledge of critical subjects and to broaden my understanding of our ever-changing world. It has demonstrated to me that no matter how much we read in connection with our formal classroom instruction, there is always much more to learn about virtually any subject on the face of the earth.
In such a rapidly changing environment, reading helps us stay abreast of the latest innovations. It offers the opportunity to hear from the experts in particular fields; and to consider fresh perspectives, while in the process, fully examining our own.
In virtually every career field, advances in theory and practice are being developed every day. What we knew yesterday is often not what we will need to know tomorrow. Reading can help us bridge that divide.Time spent in reading keeps our brains at their peak as well. So while I’m enjoying the many outdoor activities that summer offers, I will also set aside time to read.
As you can see below, my personal summer reading list reflects my interest in Latin American literature, history, sports, leadership, technology, globalization and the environment. Having these choices at hand means that I can take advantage of the free hours that summer brings in a way that will stay with me when the winter inevitably returns.
Whether it’s a day at the beach, a weekend getaway or that long-awaited annual vacation, a book makes a great companion for the journey.
Let me know what books you’re recommending this summer by posting a comment below– or join me in reading one of the choices on my own “to-read” list for Summer 2010:
Making the Move to E Learning: Putting Your Course Online; Kay Lehmann and Lisa Chamberlin
The Stories of Eva Luna, By Chilean writer Isabel Allende
Leaders in the Crossroads: Success and Failure in the College Presidency, by Stephen J. Nelson
For-Profit Colleges and Universities: Their Markets, Regulations, Performance, and Place in Higher Education; Guilbert C. Hentschke, Vicente M. Lechuga, William G. Tierney, and Marc Tucker
The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslin Spain, by Matthew Carr
The World is Flat: A brief History of the 21st. Century by Thomas L. Freidman
Hot, Flat and Crowded: why we need a Green Revolution - and How it Can Renew America, by Thomas L. Freidman
How Soccer Explains the World: An unlikely theory of globalization, by Franklin Foer
I hope you’ll share some of your summer reading choices by posting a comment below.
Enjoy the summer!
Dario A. Cortes, PhD
President
