To succeed in today’s global economy, workers must be educated, not just trained for a career. That’s why the humanities have always been at the core of higher education.

Courses such as English, history and philosophy teach students how to think, reason and understand the world around them. Greek mythology is much more than the study of the gods and heroes of the ancient Greeks; it’s an avenue to understanding that culture.

The study of languages helps bring the world within reach, as UAlbany’s theme proudly states.

So it’s understandable that the university’s announcement to suspend five humanities courses—French, Italian, Russian, classics and theater—to help absorb heavy-handed state aid reductions sent shock waves across the campus and through the entire SUNY system.

The bad news spread quickly, generating coverage on National Public Radio, and in the Washington Post and The New York Times—whose columnist Stanley Fish claimed UAlbany’s move marked the start of “the crisis of the humanities” in an Oct. 11 editorial. International news outlets such as the British Broadcasting Corp., Radio France and the French newspaper LeMonde have also reported on the cuts.

TARGET: HUMANITIES

Perhaps Fish overstated the danger. But his point is well taken: the humanities are in trouble. An expanding list of public higher education institutions—including Arizona State, Washington State, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette among others – have targeted the humanities or have them in their budget-cutting crosshairs.

SUNY Geneseo made that list in November when it announced plans to phase out majors in studio art, along with degrees in computer sciences, and communicative disorders and sciences.

Yet a year earlier, Geneseo President Christopher Dahl referred to the Communicative Disorders and Sciences Department as “the gem of the college.” Apparently, this gem has lost some of its sparkle in the eyes of administrators.

Fortunately, no other SUNY schools were contemplating cuts in humanities as The Voice went to press.

COOL HEAD IN TOUGH TIMES

Yes, the economy is in trouble and times are tough. We understand this all too well; SUNY state-operated campuses have been socked with $585 million in state aid reductions since 2008, including the latest mid-year cut ordered by Gov. David Paterson in October, that sent SUNY campuses scrambling to close million-dollar funding gaps.

But now is not the time to turn away from higher education’s overarching mission: to produce well-rounded college graduates who can think critically and reason ethically. We need knowledgeable people who can solve problems, not react to unpredictable situations in predictable ways. A broad liberal arts education gives students a chance to explore, to discover what it is to be human.

College should compel students to consider and assess, to write, and to communicate.

Arts, history, languages and theater courses raise intriguing questions about life and the search for answers. They broaden the consciousness, cultivating a personal understanding as to why the world is as it is.

As budgets are squeezed and unemployment lines grow longer, it’s no surprise to see schools under increasing pressure from students and parents to adjust curriculum to match labor market shifts. But adopting a “cookie cutter” approach to education— where students are tracked into courses with an emphasis on career preparation—is short-sighted.

SHARE THE PAIN

UAlbany’s refusal to even consider trimming budgets across campus instead of cutting the humanities courses is unfortunate, to say the least. UAlbany President George Philip, in the Oct. 15-21 edition of the Capital District Business Review, said that spreading budget cuts across campus was not an option because “cutting across the board is the formula for mediocrity.”

That’s a great sound bite, but do you have any evidence to back up such a claim? Where’s the proof ?

UAlbany UUPers haven’t taken news of the cuts lying down. Along with a group of concerned students and alumni, UUPers have attended student rallies protesting the cuts and signed a petition calling for the programs’ reinstatement; more than 13,000 people signed the petition, which was submitted to administrators on Nov. 1. Also, UAlbany’s Faculty Senate passed resolutions against the cuts in November.

FIGHTING BACK

It’s up to all of us as union members to stand tall for SUNY. We need you to join the fight to protect and enhance SUNY to ensure its future as a vibrant state university system that will provide an affordable, quality education to all New Yorkers.

If we do nothing, we can expect to hear more heartbreaking news of programs and departments being cut at other SUNY campuses to make up for deeper state aid cuts. More jobs will be lost; one of them could be yours.

Talk to your legislators. Explain how SUNY is under siege and how important it is to preserve the integrity of the nation’s largest public higher education system. We need to be loud and bold. The time is now.