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| Jeremy Ball Class of 2017 |
This semester I’ve had the amazing opportunity to intern with the Kentucky General Assembly. My time in Frankfort has had me sitting in committee and caucus meetings, to assisting my Senator, Denise Harper-Angel, in preparation for a number of meetings and tasks. As such, with my time in Frankfort, I’ve been in the midst of all the discussion about the budget. Without getting into all the details of the budget, there’s one aspect of budget cuts that has been quite the talk: cuts to higher education. I am very fortunate to have received a scholarship to the University of Louisville, and remind myself how lucky I am every time I’m studying for a test; but for countless individuals across the state, I understand the troubling feelings associated with these cuts. Higher tuition means a number of prospective college students will not be able to attend college. Accordingly, a higher number of students not obtaining a college degree directly correlates to the prominent poverty that plagues our state. It would seem that in a state trying to raise its wealth for its citizens would want to focus on higher education, but it seems that is not our new governor’s priority.
However, what is even more troubling to me is the infamous statement about “French literature” that Governor Bevin declared should not be treated as a priority in higher education. My degree in Political Science is not a part of the “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) focus. While STEM has a very important role in our society, it is very upsetting to see our governor (a non-STEM major himself) disregard the importance of degrees that focus on writing development, critical thinking, and the ability for one to understand complex material. When you look at the role of the liberal arts in our society, a number of prominent members of society got their start in degrees non-STEM majors. Businesswoman Carly Fiorina was able to enter the business world and run for president… with a philosophy degree. This alone helps to debunk Governor Bevin’s theory that liberal arts degrees are less important. In fact, non-STEM majors are needed for a number of roles in society. My Arabic professor, who has been one of the most influential professors I’ve had in college, continually stresses the importance of critical languages and the financial advantages that go along with knowing these languages. This is but one of the many influential aspects that make students nationally competitive for scholarships, and ultimately, jobs.
The McConnell Center has undoubtedly been one of the most prominent aspects of my college career. Its focus on liberal arts education has increased my critical thinking abilities and has served me well academically in a number of my classes. It’s disheartening to think that the importance of higher education and the liberal arts is currently being undermined. While the budget has yet to pass, I encourage everyone to reflect on the importance of higher education and contact their representatives.
Jeremy Ball is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He studies political science and economics.