VM President Garimella’s “No excuse needed for transformational change in higher ed” (Feb. 17) presents a curious disconnect between public relations utterance and concrete action.
To justify proposing harsh cuts to the College of Arts and Sciences, Garimella declares, “Many employers are dissatisfied with the critical thinking and communications skills of college graduates.” Why then has the administration targeted the liberal arts that nurture these exact qualities in UVM students?
The thoughtful study of languages, literature and the many aspects of the complex human experience exercises those precise close reading, research, analysis, collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving skills valued by employers.
Furthermore, Garimella states, “equity is an issue throughout the country, with too many students from low-income and diverse backgrounds thwarted in their attempts to pursue higher education.” Why then has the administration eliminated the TRiO program, which provided support, including scholarships and a food pantry, to first-generation and low-income students, and students with disabilities?
In the same vein, it has shuttered the popular Campus Children’s School and scrubbed child care opportunities for working parents.
Meanwhile, “the creation and funding of an Office of Engagement that will facilitate our ability to fulfill our land grant mission to the state of Vermont” misunderstands this vital mission. Vermont does not need more campus bureaucracy: it needs its flagship public Ivy university to treat higher education as a public good and to remember its fundamental and historic role as a precious center of learning, culture and community for all Vermonters.
Angeline Chiu
Winooski