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Posted on 10/22/2011 2:17:18 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Tampa, Florida - If you're a student trying to earn a degree in anthropology, or even journalism, Governor Rick Scott says don't bother.
He says if the state is to compete for the best jobs, he wants students focusing on science, engineering, and math. Governor Scott says Florida needs more graduates in high tech fields so companies will consider relocating to the Sunshine State. But he's being criticized for his idea to shift tax dollars away from liberal arts majors like anthropology and journalism.
Natalie Odom is majoring in mass communications at the University of South Florida. She says, "I think it's awful because not everyone has an interest in math and science and if he cuts out areas that people have an interest in, that is just going to make for less students enrolled in college because they may not want to study a field that they have no desire or passion to study."
It's not clear what evidence Governor Scott has that graduates have less job prospects in the anthropology and journalism fields. According to the Miami Herald, liberal arts majors represent a small slice of all Florida undergraduate degrees: 4.7 percent. According to the American Anthropology Association, about 64 percent of those with a graduate degree in anthropology find a job within 12 months of graduating.
Staff members from USF'S Department of Anthropology say it's considered one of the best in the country and has been a consistent job creator for Tampa and the state of Florida. Brent Weisman, Ph.D. is the chair of the department and says the governor's statement is "completely uninformed. That's a statement made without any basis in fact."
Weisman adds, "I think it's an impressionist, anecdotal statement based on perhaps the stereotype of anthropology as a discipline that studies underwater basket weaving or something like that. It bears no relation to reality."
USF also has a career center that is free and open to all students regardless of what they're studying. Counselors are on hand to give students the tools they need to land a job whether it's how to dress for an interview or put together a resume. They put on job fairs and many employers visit the center to conduct interviews with students.
Dan Van Hoose is the assistant director of The Career Center and says, "They're exploring. They're learning. They're growing. They just know they have an interest in that academic topic. That doesn't necessarily define their skill set for life at that point in time."
36% unemployment rate for advanced degrees, not just bachelors, after a full year, and they're proud? Sheesh.
I think a liberal arts degree should be valuable but it doesn't translate into job skills, and the dreck they teach today doesn't qualify as genuine liberal arts anyway.
One ideal is to get a good grounding in the genuine liberal arts and then go on to graduate study to specialize in a career field.
Or not.
I mean, if you're just doing it to help you understand humanity better, and you've got the time and money to spare, hey. Go for it. But job-wise? It. Is. A. Waste. Of. Time.
Had never heard of THAT one, but I'm sure there are scores of Degrees in subjects that have ZERO Street Value.
In the good old days, America made most things of importance, and made them well.
Alright wise guy, what part of unconstitutional do you not understand? What part of Plyler vs. Doe (1982) do you not understand? The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 14th Amendment gives illegals access to K-12, ER, food stamps and so on.
This isn't something people made up recently to push some agenda, it's a 30 year old court dictate. No candidate, other than Newt, is talking about the out of control courts and need for the elected branches to reassert their constitutional authority and for congress to use its power to decide what the courts can and cannot review.
States can't do it. California votes learned that in 1994 when Prop 187 ("Save our State") was declared unconstitutional based on the Plyler precedent.
Has Bachmann done anything? Nope. Surely Mr. "magnets" Santorum? Nope. Ron Paul? Well, Paul probably agrees with Plyler so I'll pass on that one. Did Newt as Speaker? Not that I'm aware of but he is talking about these issues now.
When you say, "What part of illegal don't you understand," you're showing your ignorance of what the Supreme Court has ruled and what's been law of the land for nearly 30 years.
I can't imagine Plyler being be reviewed or reversed but congress could carve out an exception for immigration policy and make it non-reviewable by the courts. Unfortunately that would only take another act of congress to revert.
The feds—all three branches and both parties—have effectively signed a suicide pact on illegal immigration.
More gov't grants, giveaways and subsides lead to increased prices in education. It's immoral and stupid.
I don’t care what the courts say, they are not legislatures. The Congress and the states should be challenging these “dictates” every year. Pass new laws and make the courts consider them annually if they have to.
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