Attack on liberal arts

I appreciate the efforts of columnist Tom Eblen and others to defend liberal education. A world where the average person has no access to formal higher education in disciplines such as music, philosophy and sociology would be sad.

However, Eblen’s column on Gov. Matt Bevin’s words about Kentuckians studying French literature mischaracterize the situation.

A little research will show that the defunding and decline of liberal education in the United States goes back many years. Bevin’s words echo those of Florida Gov. Rick Scott in 2011 and President Barack Obama in 2014. The difference is that Scott used anthropology and Obama used art history, not French literature.

Eblen mentions the University of Virginia. Well, Teresa Sullivan’s forced resignation as president of UVA in 2012 was apparently because she would not shut down departments like classics and German.

Clearly we have a national trend, not an indictment of the history and politics of Kentucky.

If Eblen really wants Kentucky to lead, he should talk about how to end higher education’s monopoly on people’s future prospects. The actual knowledge and skills that a person possesses, not earning a credential, should be what determine economic opportunities in Kentucky.

This story was originally published February 14, 2016 at 7:43 AM with the headline "Attack on liberal arts."