“We’re sending the majority of students down the college algebra road, which is really not necessary,” Archer said. “It’s not practical. It’s not really needed. And it’s not relevant for their fields.”
This kind of thinking would remove most requirements. History is not necessary for all majors, nor are great literature, nor is any specific science. But such studies help to develop educated, rigorous minds. Universities should not educate people only in “their fields” but should provide a broad, demanding education.
Whether algebra, specifically, should be required is an open question. But supposed relevance to a major should not be the final test.
Very good points.
We would be better off having a general agreement on what a university should be about. With “free” government money available, what we currently call “universities “ will continue to lower their standards to get the money.
State legislatures need the backbone to set basic standards for universities versus trade schools. Today’s “university degree” is already virtually worthless. This sort of standard-lowering is destroying it further. Maintaining a university system has become a waste of state tax money.