re: LSU Students & Alumni to March on Capitol next Thursday April 30 @ 12:30

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Arts and humanities are worthless for LSU. It should cut all of those and stick to the meat and potatoes.

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I think this is a fair argument, and probably one that needs to at least be on the table amid the financial circumstances, but I also don't think it's an argument you can win. You're getting into the whole philosophical area of higher ed's purpose and mission. I'd guess (randomly) that as many people who feel the way you do about the liberal arts will feel the exact opposite -- the the business, engineering, etc students need that liberal arts exposure, and the overall benefit is worthwhile.

If anything, in my own personal opinion, we can talk about re-shaping the missions of basically every other university in Louisiana apart from the flagship. Cutting out the entire liberal arts education component of LSU would be detrimental, imho.

New Report Documents That Liberal Arts Disciplines Prepare Graduates for Long-Term Professional Success

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Responding to concerns about whether college is still worth it and whether liberal arts* majors provide a solid foundation for long-term employment and career success, the report compares earnings trajectories and career pathways for liberal arts majors with the earnings trajectories and career pathways for those majoring in science and mathematics, engineering, and professional or preprofessional fields like business or education.

"Recent attacks on the liberal arts by ill-informed commentators and policy makers have painted a misleading picture of the value of the liberal arts to individuals and our communities," said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider. "As the findings in this report demonstrate, majoring in a liberal arts field can and does lead to successful and remunerative careers in a wide array of professions.”

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Forbes: Why Getting A Liberal Arts College Education Is Not A Mistake

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My advice: Do what you love, study what interests you, get good internships, connect with as many people as possible who might help you land a job, be willing to work hard and be resourceful–and you’ll be fine, whether or not you know how to build an app or program a computer.

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Washington Post: We don’t need more STEM majors. We need more STEM majors with liberal arts training.

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To innovate is to introduce change. While STEM workers can certainly drive innovation through science alone, imagine how much more innovative students and employees could be if the pool of knowledge from which they draw is wider and deeper. That occurs as the result of a liberal arts education.

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