By Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger
The debate over the rising cost of a college education has been widely politicized with the discussion of what to do about the crushing burden of student debt. Former President Biden, in an apparent effort to buy the votes of recent college graduates, promised to use taxpayer dollars to pay off outstanding student loans. An important related question is, what exactly are you getting for the enormous expense of a college education?
A college education has always been looked upon as preparation for a profession or entry into the skilled workforce – a means to an end to be able to make a living and contribute to society in some meaningful way. With the growing cost of college tuition and the increased global competitiveness in the job market, the return on investment (ROI) for a college degree is coming under mounting scrutiny. Simply put, is the cost of a college degree worth incurring six figures in student loans? The answer has never been more debatable.
As someone who has taught for years at the college level and owes an entire career to what a college education has given, I can say that it has been invaluable to any success that I’ve had in life. It is also testament to the productivity of a courseload filled exclusively with subjects based solely on solid academics and courses related to a major. Recently however, many college course offerings have taken a turn for the worst with some, outright bizarre.
Below is a small example of some of the head scratching courses being offered by American universities:
How To Watch Television – Cornell University
The Art of Walking – Princeton University
Tree Climbing – Centre College
Makin Whoopi: Goldberg’s Canon – Bates College
The Amazing World of Bubbles – Caltech
Maple Syrup: The Real Thing – Alfred University
How To Steal – The New School
The list goes on and on, but I think most would get the picture. Therein lies a major problem with a college education in the 21st century. Electives are one thing – mind-numbing wastes of time are another.
While nonsensical course offerings are bad enough, it pales in comparison to what the once revered Harvard University just announced. Apparently, Harvard has hired drag queen ‘LaWhore Vagistan’ as visiting professor in gender and sexuality studies. It is unclear what a major in either of those subjects will do for a student’s future employment viability, but college credit is awarded for sitting through these classes, all for the princely sum of $1771 per undergraduate credit. Students at Harvard will now be asked to pay $82,000 annually for a buffoonish experience that will contribute absolutely nothing to developing their skill sets and future job prospects.
The saddest part of the decline of academia on some American campuses and the obsession with activism and political posturing at the expense of the pursuit of knowledge and scholarly exceptionalism is that other schools, many times outside the United States will end up filling that void. We are at a point in time where advancements in technology and communication have transformed every discipline in the academic canon. Instead of designing courses to meet the challenges of this new academic frontier, students are offered pseudo-intellectual drivel to fill their days.
Clearly, colleges and universities exist in a very competitive world, with declining enrollment and competition from a variety of sectors exerting pressure on schools to attract students and increase enrollment. That, however, does not mean higher education should become an adult version of Chuck E. Cheese to entertain, rather than teach students. With the emergence of AI, robotics, advanced computer programming, and tremendous leaps forward in technology, communications, medicine, travel and on, we need to produce scholars capable of competing globally to ensure America’s status as a world leader in academics and innovation.
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Gerry Scharfenberger, PhD. is a New Jersey Assemblyman representing the State’s 13th Legislative District.
