Thread: Should we stop funding Liberal Arts Education with public dollars?

Florida Governor Rick Scott, citing shrinking financial resources, supports a strategy that would showed preferred funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs (STEM). Governor Scott says, "If I’m going to take money from a citizen to put into education then I’m going to take that money to create jobs,” Scott said. “So I want that money to go to degrees where people can get jobs in this state."

The Governor is expected to include several different reforms aimed at Colleges and Universities across Florida when he submits his new budget next January. With more money being provided to the STEM majors, less funds will be available for Liberal Arts majors, plus some other "science" based fields of study such as Psychology and Anthropology. “Is it a vital interest of the state to have more anthropologists? I don’t think so.” says, Governor Scott.

Now's probably a good time to mention that Governor Scott's daughter, Jordan Kandah, earned an Anthropology degree from William & Mary College. She did not work in the field, rather was a Special Education teacher before enrolling in a MBA program earlier this Fall.

As fun as that sounds, its not really evidence that Scott's policy is hypocritical or would even be a bad one.

As I understand it, students would'nt be prevented from study Liberal Arts, they just wouldn't get as much public dollars via student grants and loans to do so. This wouldn't effect Scholarships or other private sources of tuition assistance.

I don't profess to know how the coffers for Florida higher education look at this moment. In general, with the shape of the economy, rising health care costs, unemployment's effect on the tax base, etc. it doesn't sound crazy to me to accept Scott's...

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No, but I don't think we should fund everyone to go to college. We should pay for only those who are bright.

Originally Posted by Corfieldb

Florida Governor Rick Scott, citing shrinking financial resources, supports a strategy that would showed preferred funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs (STEM). Governor Scott says, "If I’m going to take money from a citizen to put into education then I’m going to take that money to create jobs,” Scott said. “So I want that money to go to degrees where people can get jobs in this state."

The Governor is expected to include several different reforms aimed at Colleges and Universities across Florida when he submits his new budget next January. With more money being provided to the STEM majors, less funds will be available for Liberal Arts majors, plus some other "science" based fields of study such as Psychology and Anthropology. “Is it a vital interest of the state to have more anthropologists? I don’t think so.” says, Governor Scott.

Now's probably a good time to mention that Governor Scott's daughter, Jordan Kandah, earned an Anthropology degree from William & Mary College. She did not work in the field, rather was a Special Education teacher before enrolling in a MBA program earlier this Fall.

As fun as that sounds, its not really evidence that Scott's policy is hypocritical or would even be a bad one.

As I understand it, students would'nt be prevented from study Liberal Arts, they just wouldn't get as much public dollars via student grants and loans to do so. This wouldn't effect Scholarships or other private sources of tuition assistance.

I don't profess to know how the coffers for Florida higher education look at this moment. In general, with the shape of the economy, rising health care costs, unemployment's effect on the tax base, etc. it doesn't sound crazy to me to accept Scott's...

Continue reading here...

Well, given a choice between a liberal arts education or a communications degree, I would support the liberal arts education. Liberal arts meaning a generalized education, that includes a wide variety of courses. I have a liberal arts and sciences education (major in Biology), but I don't discount the non-science as unimportant, rather it complemented my science courses.

The other thing is, government money is limited. We have a shortage of STEM graduates. Shouldn't we encourage students to go into fields that we have need of?

Liberal arts does a lot less damage than sociology.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zCrtHq29KE"]Oh the Humanities![/ame]

Originally Posted by perdidochas

Well, given a choice between a liberal arts education or a communications degree, I would support the liberal arts education. Liberal arts meaning a generalized education, that includes a wide variety of courses. I have a liberal arts and sciences education (major in Biology), but I don't discount the non-science as unimportant, rather it complemented my science courses.

The other thing is, government money is limited. We have a shortage of STEM graduates. Shouldn't we encourage students to go into fields that we have need of?

Most of the non STEM degrees are garbage. What exactly can a person who studies English Lit do with that degree? Congrats, the government has just wasted $50,000 of MY money to teach some kid a degree that won't get him a job. The same is true of 99% of "liberal arts" subjects. No job at the end, and a huge bill for the rest of us.

Besides which those trash degrees drive up the cost of college for the smart STEM students. College costs so much because everyone goes -- even people who have no business being there.

Originally Posted by Caeia Iulia Regilia

Most of the non STEM degrees are garbage. What exactly can a person who studies English Lit do with that degree? Congrats, the government has just wasted $50,000 of MY money to teach some kid a degree that won't get him a job. The same is true of 99% of "liberal arts" subjects. No job at the end, and a huge bill for the rest of us.

Besides which those trash degrees drive up the cost of college for the smart STEM students. College costs so much because everyone goes -- even people who have no business being there.

You missed my point. My point is that liberal arts education is a good thing. Liberal arts degrees, for the most part are not. I have a liberal arts and sciences degree. What that means is that I have coursework in a wide range of things (humanities, social sciences, literature, etc.) as part of my science degree. IMHO, a liberal arts education in a science is probably the best form of education possible. I can discuss non-science issues with the majority of people in the arts/humanities world, but I can also discuss science with engineers. Best of all worlds. It is what we need to produce truly educated people. Another name for a liberal arts education is a classical education.

Science is what makes it easier to live well. Art is what makes it worth living. Both are important.

We should cut our funding to undergraduate programmes. My first hand experience just proved how it is a waste of tax payers's money. You have kids there who went through four years of bureaucracy as "IQ Test" just to prove to the fututre employers they have some capability to make it into the school, and some, with good GPA. They do not prepare you for working life. And even as a signal of appitude, I do not believe that we need four years. I went to a decent public school in Pennsylvania. The kids were not to be blamed as they were mostly hardworking people and many were under pressure to work hard to pay back the loan. But the system as a whole is very inefficient and not worth the time and money.

There are also alot of junk public schools there. It ended up become state-sponsored parties with rampant grade inflation to cover up for the lack of academic substance. It wonders little when many remembered "college as the most memorable part of their lives". In many places, it is an experience of tax-payers funded parties getting drunk in dorms, lack of academic substance, a system detached from the working world reality(No one cares if you are late for lectures, but try that for work).

Originally Posted by perdidochas

You missed my point. My point is that liberal arts education is a good thing. Liberal arts degrees, for the most part are not. I have a liberal arts and sciences degree. What that means is that I have coursework in a wide range of things (humanities, social sciences, literature, etc.) as part of my science degree. IMHO, a liberal arts education in a science is probably the best form of education possible. I can discuss non-science issues with the majority of people in the arts/humanities world, but I can also discuss science with engineers. Best of all worlds. It is what we need to produce truly educated people. Another name for a liberal arts education is a classical education.

I'm not addressing that point, but since you bring it up, I think that such things are great to study on your own time. I can get a lot of free philosophy books and so on for my kindle -- doesn't cost you anything, and that means that I can spend the thousands of dollars that college costs me or the taxpayers on a degree that will get me a job. Math, science, engineering or business (esp accounting) are good choices for career training. English Lit, while fascinating, is not going to get you hired as anything more than an English teacher. It's a poor ROI especially in a job market like we have right now.