Value of higher ed underestimated
West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair recently wrote in regard to the faculty and staff cuts being pushed through at WVU despite mass protests from students, faculty and our community that “There is simply no need to take on tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt for degrees that do not translate into a good paying job …”
I am not originally from Morgantown but have grown to love this community, its people and its spirit — like the spirit seen from the faculty, staff and students. I have a degree in German and another in international relations, but according to Sen. Blair’s comments, those do not translate into a good paying job. I disagree.
Those degrees allowed me to learn about different cultures and value sets that in turn allowed me to learn how to lead through understanding other perspectives. They allowed me to serve with the finest women and men I have ever met as a United States Air Force officer.
Not everyone desires to go to university to come out of it rich or in the possibility of a STEM career. My little girl would like to go to university when she grows up to become a librarian.
That’s another part of the WVU cuts nobody is talking about. Cuts to WVU’s libraries won’t just be books and databases for students, but faculty and staff cuts as well.
It’ll be hard for those STEM students or medical students to get a “good paying job” to research up-to-date information when you take away the resources they need.
One of the principles we are taught about leading people in the military is do not come to me with simply a problem — also bring solutions we can work with.
Diversity and cultures bring different perspectives, and WVU is taking those away from young students.
James Mackey
Morgantown
