Fund higher ed

I am a beneficiary of a liberal arts education, a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with a BA and employed in a technical field. I had a very modest upbringing and relied on grants, work-study and some loans to get through.

If Gov. Matt Bevin has his way, only the privileged will be able to attend college.

Working for the last 18 years, I am sometimes thanked and complimented on my work. When that happens, I hear two things more than anything else:

“I like you because you don’t treat me like I'm dumb,” or “You explain things in a way I can understand.”

I say to anyone who will listen that my liberal arts education enabled me to be a superior communicator. I try to understand people and especially their concerns in ways many technical people simply don’t.

I don’t know how my skills match up to those of purely technical people. Perhaps I am only an average technologist. I firmly believe, however, that I am an elite human problem solver, and I owe it all to communications, rhetoric, sociology, foreign-language and humanities courses.

Please tell our state lawmakers that Kentucky needs to fund higher education as the public good it is.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Fund higher ed."