The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point has announced it is eliminating more than a dozen majors in the humanities and social sciences, including English, history, philosophy, Spanish, and sociology. These are fields traditionally at the heart of the collegiate academic enterprise. Why do this? Three reasons come to mind.
First, the school is struggling financially. Enrollments fell over 11 percent from the fall of 2015 to last fall. State subsidies are down. Like many schools with only modest academic reputations and limited outside financial support, Stevens Point faces significant declining student demand. This is a big problem in eastern and Midwestern states with stagnant populations. The school must cut costs –moreover, fewer faculty are needed to teach.
Second, the demand for courses in the humanities has declined, probably for two reasons. First and most important, students are being pushed to take “practical” courses with vocational relevance: how can a degree in English, history or philosophy help in the world of work? Wisconsin’s politicians, led by Governor Scott Walker (himself a college dropout not overly impressed by claims that universities are powerful engines of economic growth), have been pressuring colleges to emphasize vocationally relevant training. Second, the humanities are turning off some, especially conservatives, with their obsession with race, class and gender issues, and perceived attacks on traditional values.
Third, the school apparently thinks it needs to reposition itself as a vocationally oriented educational provider, pushing majors like management, marketing, and even chemical engineering, starting a new M.B.A. degree as well (ironically, some schools are considering abandoning M.B.A. programs). Some liberal arts colleges and other middling quality state universities are pursuing similar strategies. This approach both makes the politicians happier and theoretically could stem the seriously declining interest in schools like Stevens Point.
Reviewing some statistics increases my skepticism about the wisdom of these changes. The notion that majors like history and philosophy are bad vocationally is seriously exaggerated. In a major study, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce observed median earnings of those with bachelor’s degrees majoring in “humanities and liberal arts” ($47,000) were only modestly less than those majoring in some STEM disciplines (“biology and life science” majors had a $50,000 median). Looking at the annual Payscale.com salary survey by major, the midcareer philosophy major average earnings ($85,100) were greater than for marketing or management majors. The critical reasoning skills developed by majoring in subjects like history or philosophy help graduates learn quickly on the job ---where productive job skills are mostly acquired. Beyond financial considerations, I think my own learning in courses like Western Civilization, English Literature and even French made me a better and more tolerant citizen –a need in a nation with an increasingly fractious populace.
If the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard is correct (and there are significant data problems), average earnings after attending Stevens Point, $39,000 a year, are less than those attending many other University of Wisconsin campuses, and dramatically below the main Madison campus ($54,200). Yet Madison has a strong humanities tradition, having over 400 undergraduate majors in history. Moreover, even private Wisconsin liberal arts colleges with strong reputations in humanities, like Lawrence University or Beloit College, have higher average earnings than reported for Stevens Point. My guess is that kids are staying away from Stevens Point or attending then taking low paying jobs not because of what the school teaches, but for other reasons –probably it attracts students with weaker academic backgrounds and work ethics, and perhaps fewer cognitive skills.
The reality is that a majority of college graduates, especially in traditional liberal arts disciplines, do not end up working in their field of major study. The Georgetown study reported 18 percent of “humanities and liberal arts” graduates ended up in management (more than any single other job category), while 14 percent of history majors went into finance.
The broader problem schools like Stevens Points face is that America is probably overinvested in universities, and there is a student flight to quality leaving poorer, lower reputation schools scrambling to survive. Maybe Wisconsin, with under six million citizens, does not need over a dozen public university campuses (e.g., Madison, Milwaukee, Manitowoc, Parkside, Platteville, Whitewater, Stout, Superior, Oshkosh, Eau Claire, Green Bay, River Falls, Sheboygan, Stevens Point). Maybe the Badger State needs to go on a university diet, shedding some schools.
