Gov. Pat McCrory verbal assault on liberal arts education could signal scary times for North Carolina colleges and students. In an interview with conservative radio host Bill Bennett, McCrory said he wanted to shift funding away from subjects that don’t lead to jobs. He criticized an “educational elite” for offering courses in subjects such as gender studies that don’t lead students onto clear career paths, according to an Associated Press story.
“I’m going to adjust my educational curriculum to what business and commerce needs to get our kids jobs as opposed to moving back in with their parents after they graduate with debt,” McCrory said. McCrory’s comments drew swift reaction from UNC. Education isn’t only technical training, and employers demand students with problem-solving, analytical, communication and team-working skills, said UNC-Chapel Hill faculty chairwoman Jan Boxill in an AP interview.
Added UNC President Tim Ross, “The university’s value to North Carolina should not be measured by jobs filled alone.”
McCrory’s disregard for courses that don’t directly translate into jobs is extremely close-minded and frightening. It’s 2013 not 1913.
