Slashing education budgets is short-sightedBy David Lovell October 21, 2017
The legislature is now considering several reasonable revenue-raising options. The alternative to a thoughtful revenue increase is to further cut spending and wreak further damage on the University of Alaska. Slashing education budgets is an extremely short-sighted way to solve fiscal issues. We're in this mess because for too long, public services have depended on revenue from unstable markets for things like fish and oil that we take out of our land and waters to ship out of the state. The only way out of it is to grow our human resources and attract employers who need highly skilled workers. New businesses, bringing new jobs, would also be generated by graduates with the confidence and skills nurtured in college. Consider what an engine of economic development the University of Washington has been in that state. A few years ago, a lobbyist for Microsoft said they were not looking for universities to produce specialists, but graduates with a broad liberal arts education and the problem-solving ability that will allow them to learn and adapt in a rapidly changing knowledge econony. All of our citizens deserve the chance to develop their talents as far as their interests and abilities will take them. If we continue to starve higher education, we're eating our seed corn. Sincerely, David Lovell About:
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Received October 19, 2017 - Published October 21, 2017 Related Viewpoint:
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