University of Maine at Presque Isle
Volume 38 Issue 12
APRIL 8, 2010
Journalism for Northern Maine
Visit us at utimes.umpi.edu
Education Is Not for Sale
Kayla Ames STAFF WRITER
Today’s universities, including ours, are at a crossroad. Higher education is suffering due to recent economic crises. Tomasz Herzog, associate professor of social studies education, proved this during the faculty noon seminar that took place on March 11. Approximately 15 people attended, most of them professors. They chatted, snacked on sandwiches, oranges and granola bars and patiently waited for the presentation to begin. The atmosphere changed when Herzog began elaborating on a worrisome but growing problem: the increasing commercialization and professionalism associated with higher education. We’ve seen our poor economy at work numerous times. Many of us aren’t aware of its exact effects on education. In the case of colleges and universities across the world, lack of money and a concern for the job market have changed their roles and purposes. Herzog believes that these changes will disturb education, not only now, but also in the future. “It’s the highest time to reexamine the purpose and role of universities and colleges because they are indispensable to the life of any nation,” a summary by Herzog said. This subject should interest educators, parents, legislators, students and social activists. While health care, national security and alternative energy development are the issues we think about most, education should be
of equal priority. As the economic state worsens, education support by the state significantly decreases. California higher education, for example, has lost about 40 percent of its state funding and has been forced to lay off professors as well as raise tuition. California isn’t the only place that’s suffered, though. Funding has decreased in many other states. Herzog made a point of emphasizing the importance of further education, offering solutions to the problem of less funding and the discouragement of a liberal arts degree. Liberal arts programs have fallen victim to the financial cuts and narrowing of educational focus. Unfair misconceptions have been attached to them. As a result, many schools are questioning whether they should be maintained or broadened. Many have come to see the
degree as a luxury, as too expensive. Some say it is harder to get a job with just a liberal arts background. A liberal arts major is supposedly irrelevant or too old-fashioned. None of these things are true, according to Herzog. Credibility, flexibility and power are just some of the benefits of a liberal arts educa-
tion. They help us think outside the box. More students are concentrating on the jobs that will make them the most money now, rather than what they
want to do or the jobs that will bring them more money in the future. Herzog’s message was very clear: these ideas and practices are wrong. In quoting G.K. Chesterton, Herzog said “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” Higher education, including liberal arts, is essential. We cannot let it simply fade away because of economic limitations. There are ways to help ourselves. Education should be about the public good rather than numbers. We should encourage academic freedom and responsibility, incorporate new technologies and acknowledge the place of adjunct professors as equals instead of treating them like second-class employees. Though young students cannot be overlooked, nontraditional students are
becoming more common. Education should be able to adapt to their needs and abilities. Another way we could improve our schools and universities is by making learning a fun and lifelong experience. We need to make education about more than just names and grades. In order to guarantee a bright future, we have to start wanting to learn and recognize the importance of constant education. “Education is not for sale,” Herzog stated. Fellow professors addressed a variety of issues during the question and answer part of the seminar. Some of these issues included the effects of the capitalist model on education, the role of educational institutions in upholding a civic society and the change in public as well as legislative opinion toward higher education. They also talked about the growing American appreciation for materialistic goods, which has influenced our career goals. We are starting to pursue vocational jobs instead of liberal arts and so prefer community colleges to universities. The idea of free and accessible education is spreading throughout the world. We are slowly finding out that learning does not have a price or a limit. G.K. Chesterton described education as the soul of a society. Herzog says it is important to the life of any nation. Whether or not we fully understand its value yet, higher education remains both necessary and priceless.