By Henry Fowler, Stevensville
I saw in a recent newspaper article one of the primary reasons that University of Montana’s enrollment continues to decline – poor academic priorities. With two programs cut entirely and drastic budget cuts to many other programs, the two programs with the largest increases, among the few that actually saw an increase, are the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (58 percent) and African-American Studies (138 percent).
These are the types of programs that are least likely to lead to gainful employment. So why are their budgets increased so much at the expense of much more worthwhile programs? And in a state that is only 0.4 percent black, why does the University of Montana even have an African-American Studies program? Montana State University doesn’t have one. Is it just to provide passable courses for the black athletes, who are mostly from out-of-state?
If the University of Montana would concentrate on programs that provide the knowledge and skills that Montana needs and that Montanans need to be gainfully employed in the state, then maybe enrollment would increase. Unless the University’s academic priorities change, I’m not sending my children to the University of Montana.