I did actually look at the article, but missed the header.

a highly-regarded university. Leave it to the GOP to ruin that, too.

probably rolling over in his grave, bless him.

I had to look, McCrory went to Catawba College. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I'd hate to be working at either of the state-funded unis here right now, not knowing what these ignoramuses are going to do to it.

an "educated" adult who was never exposed to the liberal arts. Just STEM, since those subjects are the only important ones - according to people like McCrory.

Obviously you feel strongly about people reading this man accurately - which makes me a little curious about you, but that's a different issue.

The point that I - and others - are making by using slightly hyperbolic statements is that what he is suggesting is similar to other attacks on the liberal arts as useless and unworthy of support.

It made a lasting impression.

to foreshadow what he wants to do as Governor.

Fortunately people are wise enough to know exactly what he's doing.

We've heard this crap before.

What the guy said was ignorant as hell. And we've heard it before. Same higher education-as-business Fox News, teabagger B.S. that the Bush administration tried to pull. He's backtracking on his dogwhistles now that he's been called out on it. Why are you defending it?

"Colleagues,

Please read a response to North Carolina students, who had written in defense of gender studies, by Jay Schalin,a "researcher" at the Pope Center.

According to Schalin, North Carolina students must not have access to certain ideas, which he deems "poisonous." I usually post links without comments, but when a spokesperson for an organization run by Art Pope, who has now been hired by our state to work on the state's budget, and when the Governor has said that is through budgetary legislation that he plans to rid the UNC system of ideas that do not lead to a job, I feel compelled to comment.

This thinking is tyrannical, not democratic, and reveals an ignorance of why professors in a free society research the history of ideas on questions that fall within the purview of their disciplines and expose their students to these ideas. Unlike Shalin, who wants to impose his ideas above all others, professors expose students to the history of thinking on various questions so students can analyze and evaluate them. This is a distinction that escapes the Pope Center.

Here is the link:

http://www.popecenter.org/commentaries/article.html?id=2800"

Art Pope inherited his wealth, couldn't get elected at state level and decided to use his money to get McCrory elected. The linked article shows the absurd mindset that is now attacking the state higher education institutions. I'm not sure what "grey areas" you're expecting me to recognize.

or who Jay Schalin may be. He sounds like an asshole. The point of my initial comment was extremely limited, having to do with what seemed like a misleading header. My response about gray areas referred back to that point about the original article. You're reading things into it that aren't there.

Then that would include an awful lot of people who went through the UK university system. Engineering students, and most science students wouldn't have non-STEM courses in their curriculum. Non STEM students wouldn't have any STEM classes save for some necessary mathematics.

However, liberal arts is more emphasized at the primary and secondary school level. The only non STEM course I took beyond Year 11 in the UK system was German, this was because I only continued with German and History past Year 9.

I didn't graduate from university in the UK for a number of reasons but when I decided to pick up my studies, I had to take all the required liberal arts courses that I didn't take in the UK (since they weren't offered at the university level to an engineering student like me). I did find that a lot of the coursework at freshman level appeared to be as straightforward as the stuff I was doing in years 7 & 8. That was just my experience though.

The UK system is designed differently. If a student chooses to come to the US, they will be faced with a system that includes the "general ed" requirements. My son decided to return to school and complete a degree in England. Fortunately, he was prepared to hit the ground running for his three-year BA.

Engineer, had no opinions on anything important. Smart girl academically, but never once questioned her parents or any other authority figure, just took what she was told at face value without trying to go deeper, and was quite content living that way. I could never have a deep political or philosophical discussion with her. It was really quite sad, and just the way TPTB want it.