Dive Brief:
- Harry Boyte, senior scholar in public work philosophy at the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College argues the “people’s voice” is missing from the policy debate over the future of higher education.
- Boyte writes for the Huffington Post if a broad citizenry gets involved in this discussion, it could wrestle the conversation away from a strict focus on preparing students for jobs that exist today, like many politicians are calling for.
- A goal of producing “citizen professionals” would precipitate a college education that helps students understand the world, fit into the current economy, and work as change agents through an inevitable transition into the jobs of tomorrow.
Dive Insight:
At least 15 states now allocate public funds to higher education institutions based on the number of students schools graduate with degrees in high-demand fields. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a bachelor’s degree holder in Japanese and East Asian studies himself, said French literature students should not be given as much money as engineers. This perspective would close off certain majors to students with fewer resources to pay their own way, leaving the wealthiest students to continue choosing their majors as they see fit.
If the general public could improve the tenor of the current conversation over higher education funding in states controlled by politicians who want to micromanage student degree choices, public colleges and universities should incorporate additional advocacy work into their operations. It may save the future of their humanities departments.