Scholarship table
History was one of my majors, and it didn’t stop me or others from being responsible for billions in revenue each year, or doing something outside their discipline. My son is earning a history degree now from MU (along with another major). I truly don’t understand removing it, but some of these schools seem to want to be vocational only. That is fine, that is their choice.Remove some of the “studies” programs would be my suggestion because....Those that ignore history.....
Pretty simple reason. A certain governor massively cut funding to higher education. Total gut job. There is no money to support entire programs that are non-revenue generating.If you don't like these types of decisions, donate to the Universities, or vote.
Au contraire!The biggest reason these majors were cut: The demand wasn't there.Yes, yes, funding has been cut to the system as well, but funding is finite, student count is down, and kids were taking other majors in higher numbers. If, a couple years ago, ~50 kids chose history (etc) as their major, they would have cut different majors with less popularity.
This is a valid point. I guess this is what I meant by "non-revenue" generating. My point was that the purpose of higher education was to provide a complete and broad education, that by necessity then included areas like History and other Liberal Art subjects.The goal wasn't revenue, it was education.
Why should a public university spend money on classes that no one is signing up for? If you want to study history, go to one of the dash schools that offer that major.
History was one of my majors, and it didn’t stop me or others from being responsible for billions in revenue each year,
My point was that the purpose of higher education was to provide a complete and broad education, that by necessity then included areas like History and other Liberal Art subjects.
I was an ASMU senator (kinda like Sen John Blutarsky) and had to attend some student government convocation which hosted schools from around the Upper Midwest. Nestor "The Molestor" Figueroa and I were at the mixer consuming more PBRs than mixing when we fell into a conversation with some guys from UW - Stout. ISYN, these guys were majoring in Welding, Plumbing, and Steam Fitting. At the time I thought it was not only bizarre but humorous. Now, I think those guys likely became entrepreneurs who set up trade-based businesses which not only had commercial viability but likely made them some coin over the years.I question the value of liberal arts degrees from lower tier colleges. Not only are these kids eminently unemployable but they are saddled with horrific debt for the privilege of spending 4 years in Stevens Point or River Falls.You can get away with being an English major if you matriculate from Smith or Williams College. A history major from UW - X has got a much tougher hill to climb to cash in that chip.
From the article ...Universities like Stevens Point are experiencing the opposite of what is happening at some of the nation’s most selective schools, like Harvard, Northwestern and the University of California, Berkeley, where floods of applications have led to overwhelming numbers of rejected students.But critics say that in trying to carve out a sustainable path for Stevens Point — and build a model for other struggling, regionally focused universities — administrators are risking the very essence of a four-year college experience.“Part of the fear is, is this an attempt to really kind of radically change the identity of this institution?” asked Jennifer Collins, a political-science professor, who wondered aloud whether Stevens Point would become a “pre-professional, more polytechnic type of university.”Kim Mueller, 21, a senior who hopes to become a history teacher at a Wisconsin high school, said her first reaction to the proposal was: “What is a university without a history major?”---------------------Do we thousands of people graduating with history degrees? Yes! It is critically important. But this can be satisfied by a top 100 university.So if you live in Wisconsin and want to study history and not travel far from home, your choices are:Madison, MU, Northwestern DePaul, Chicago, Illinois, Minnesota, Carleton, and Notre Dame.If you cannot get into one of these schools, maybe you should not be considering history.
Here's the thing about not having history majors to teach history to future generations...'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.'.....we're already seeing this trap globally with the rise of populist nationalism and the rampant acceptance of racism & bigotry at the highest levels....a broad thinking population is the best way to a strong a democracy...free thinking is the greatest thing man has....
Question ...To teach HS (or middle school) history, do you need a history degree or an education degree?What I'm asking is does cutting history mean we are cutting potential history teachers? Or are future HS history teachers getting education degrees?
Sounds like SW should have done more cutting and shut some campuses altogether.
Of the 13 four year campuses in the UW System, you can get a history major at 12 of them. 11 after SP drops the program.
Unlike you, I'm not going to get political here. But here is why that's unpractical.First, what are you going to do with the students who attend those other campuses? And the future students as well? The UW System doesn't have enough available capacity if you close a school the size of SP. UW-Superior? Sure, but you aren't saving that much money there. And those students are more likely to run over to Duluth to go to school then to go to SP. If you have to build more infrastructure elsewhere, you aren't saving anything.Second, a bunch of those buildings on campuses are supported through bonding. Including those supported by student fees and operating income. How do you suppose paying those bonds back?Third, the political costs are WAY too high. You want to shutter one of Stevens Points largest employers with a presence right smack dab in the middle of town? Good luck. College campuses really aren't useful for much else.The better idea is to do what they are doing now. Make the campuses be resourceful. Shut down programs that aren't popular. Manage capacity across the system better. Transition the infrastructure over time to a campus of 8,000 students - not 11,000 students. They are already starting to deal with the two-year campus problem. This is a problem that needs a long term plan to fix. Not something that is just going to grab headlines.