Open-minded Kathy Martin (pic not in original article)
Posted on 09/04/2005 5:25:56 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
KU [Kansas University] officials say standards debate has harmed state’s reputation, prospects
The debate over how evolution is taught in Kansas schools has damaged Kansas University’s national reputation and made it tougher to recruit faculty and top students, KU Provost David Shulenburger said Monday.
“For the state to be portrayed repeatedly in the national press as being anti-science does damage to this university,” Shulenburger said. “The frustration is you fight this reputation problem every step of the way.”
Shulenburger said he believes the debate and the state’s reputation are partly to blame for KU’s recent drop in U.S. News and World Report magazine’s rankings. KU dropped three spots to rank 45th among public universities.
Kathy Martin, a conservative member of the state school board and evolution opponent, said she doesn’t think the debate is responsible or that it hurts the reputation of Kansas or KU. “I feel most people could probably care less,” she said. “I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal except in certain circles.” Martin dismissed Shulenburger’s statements as “rhetoric.”
“I don’t think it’s changed the reputation at all,” she said. “It’s helped in academic circles that are open-minded.”
KU faculty who work with hiring new staff say it’s difficult to determine how the political debate has affected job candidates’ decisions, but they worry there is subtle damage being done and some excellent candidates might steer clear of Kansas altogether.
“It’s another issue we have to deal with beyond the normal recruiting process,” said James Orr, professor and chairman of the division of biological sciences.
Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, said she has talked with many people regarding openings in the area of science communications. The evolution debate has come up repeatedly, she said. “I’m worried more about the people I’m not talking to who aren’t really bothering (to apply),” she said.
The political debate might have pushed Erik Lundquist away, if the timing hadn’t been off. The assistant professor in the department of molecular biosciences signed a contract to come to KU from San Francisco in 1999. Weeks later, the state school board approved science standards that de-emphasized evolution.
“Had that happened two weeks earlier, I probably would not have come here,” Lundquist said. “You don’t want to work in a state that is governed by people who don’t appreciate science.”
[I'm cutting out the rest of the article. It's all available here.]
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"KU [Kansas University] officials say" HA, scoff, jeer!!!
It's "couldn't" care less, Kathy. I know critical thinking is not her strong suit but she ought to at least learn the language if she is going to make pretensions to education.
Completely clueless.
Please! Kathy is a fine, creationist lady. She's doing the very best she can, with the intellectual gifts that she was given.
Perhaps Kathy Martin should take the time to do a little study on evolution before she pushes Kansas back into the stone age.
The circles where science and learning are important, that is.
It seems that "could care less" has become colloquial. French has some like this: "Il n'y a pas de joie" - literally means "there's not any joy" - means "Can't be more joyful."
I guess colloquial is consistent with "evolving" standards in Kansas' educational circles.
I think there's something similar in Spanish: No se nada literally means "I don't know nothing," but it's understood to mean "I don't know anything."
Hmmmm. "No se nada" could become the new Kansas motto.
It's hurt. Kansas was a running joke at the international conference I'm on my way home from. I'm hoping it will help Nebraska recruit students. "North by 200 miles and ahead by three centuries!' "Come to Nebraska, the country's as flat as Kansas, but at least we know the earth isn't!"
Well I don't know if it is responsible, but I do know that if I wanted to take a degree in biology there is one reason I would be hesitant to choose the university of kansas:
Me: "Yea I got my biology degree in kansas"
Interviewer for job: "ahh yes...kansas..." *knowing look to other interviewer* "we'll get back to you"
Double negatives are common in English too but they are not the mark of an educated person.
However, Spanish negates sentences whereas English negates words.
There's one good point to Kansans making intellectual fools of themselves. It makes my old home state of Oklahoma look good by comparison. I've lived with the "Okie" reputation all my life, no thanks to Steinbecks novel. That reputation is almost gone now.
“It’s helped in academic circles that are open-minded.”
So, she's down with the Flying Spaghetti Monster. too?
I guess she thinks she's like "most people" and couldn't care less.
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