Sunday, December 21, 2014

UW campus in Superior agrees to end those stupid majors

Because the one thing you want at a small institution of taxpayer-supported higher learning in the Scott Walker/Robin Vos era is as much small thinking as possible.

Like dumb education, math and language programs for which the GOP's controllers at Job Creators, Inc. disdain.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with your comments. People in the far north, who also pay taxes by the way, should have access to a broad range of educational opportunities. Perhaps they need opportunities even more than people living in Milwaukee or Madison. This is against the Wisconsin Idea.

Anonymous said...

I am sure glad that I subsidize worthless degrees from third-tier universities.

I suppose you support the idea that these majors take end up in debt for thousands -- perhaps 10s of thousands of dollars -- to earn those degrees that will not help them find jobs.

Very progressive of you, Jame...

James Rowen said...

Listen to this elitist. Third-tier? To whom? The students chose those fields, and finding a job maybe among many of their goals.

Sue said...

If these are underused majors I can see the practicality of removing after a careful review.
I have a bigger problem with outsourcing cleaning staff, paying a company big bucks to bring in people at $8 an hour, no bennies.

Anonymous said...

So you support $20,000+ in student loans for worthless degrees that are subsidized by taxpayers?

Amazingly progressive of you...

FACT: Acceptance policides ARE tiered. UW-Madison is very difficult to get into -- approaching the kind of standardss used at elite schools elsewhere.

UW-Milwaukee and a few others -- not as high as Madison (by official policy), but still higher than most tech schools.

There there are schools like UW-Superior and Parkside -- they will take those that can't get into the other -- this is official policy.

The univeristy system has always been tiered this way -- which is why some degrees at some of the schools have little or no value to grads.

And you support this?

Anonymous said...

To put this in perspective, they are saving $260,000 by cancelling these programs. WEDC lost $8 million of our tax dollars that we know about. Walker's frivolous lawsuits against gay marriage, against singers in the Capitol, and supporting Voter ID have cost millions and that is without plaintiffs recovering fees. Talgo is suing WI and Scott Walker for $69 million for breach of contract with a very convincing case.

I would rather spend a few bucks educating people who live in the northern part of our state then wasteful lawsuits and poor decisions by our hapless leader.

Anonymous said...

9:13, How do you support your comment that "some degrees at some of the schools have little or no value to grads"?

And who are you to judge why people attend a Parkside or Superior as opposed to a Madison? Maybe people like to live at home to save money. Maybe people start college after having established themselves somewhere. Maybe people are late bloomers who need to start at a school with lower requirements. They are all entitled to a college education if they are willing to do the work. And I can guarantee that professors and lecturers at these schools are just as engaged and educated as those in Madison. I have worked with some of them and they are doing relevant research that is funded.

Todd Berry from the WI Taxpayer Alliance has shown that WI is going to need college graduates as baby boomers retire. Are only grads from elite universities welcome? We are going to have a hard time attracting them to WI with our lower than national wages.

Anonymous said...

Why do people here have a problem with an objective, verifiable fact:

All UW schools have a defined mission and there are different criteon for admissions based on the school you choose.

Funding is based on the school's mission -- different schools are funded to have "star" programs, but these are not equally distributed.

Since when did it become a progressive value to support enrollment practices which encourage students to take out massive debt to earn degrees that will not result in meaningful employment?

This post is a fact-free zone.

Why shouldn't all schools, public and private, be held accountable for:

1. How they promote their degree programs.

2. The employment prospects of those degree programs.

3. Student debt that cannot be repaid because graduates are unable to find jobs with their degrees?

Amazing -- some of the posters here must also think that, as long as no one can prove it, its perfectly fine to graduate from our public schools.

It is just said to see Rowen stuck in the false dichotomy -- if the repugs say it, must be awful -- even when it means burying our children in debt.

And when democratic politicians say it -- must be great!

Most Americans were sold out by both parties a long time ago and there is no progressive politics nor meaningful change until we either take back one party or form an effective third party.