What is the downside to adding a Department of Cultural and Regional Studies at Kennesaw State University? KSU's enrollment places it third in the state, yet it ranks 22nd overall. Is KSU's only path to train teachers, accountants and nurse administrators?
Although these are important majors, KSU can either enter the stage as a major university or remain a community college, albeit a very large one. KSU recently added a doctorate program in International Conflict and yet, after researching its undergraduate program in Sociology and comparing it to that of Georgia State University's, it is woefully lacking in undergraduate and graduate academic support.
After looking over the courses offered by the Sociology Department it appears that the new department will simply add to and expand what is currently offered. One professor has sounded the alarm about this department, which causes one to ask, "Why?" All colleges suffer budget woes and there is always a period of transition. This is not insurmountable and no reason to block expansion of academics at Georgia's third-largest university. When has this type of growth ever been a bad thing?
Cultural and regional studies have been a part of the curriculum at major universities for over 30 years. Its content supports degree programs in sociology, anthropology, criminal justice, business, medicine, international studies and global health initiatives. KSU's own sociology program promotes diversity and social change from local to global scale according to their own write-up. In the current business climate, I can think of no better addition to one's academic resume than a thorough study of global cultural and environmental issues.
KSU students and parents should be very concerned when a small and narrow community (Cobb County) is given the ability to dictate curriculum at a major university that hopes to draw students from a wider community and internationally. KSU students realize that the best job offers go to those with degrees from colleges and universities that have rigorous and complete academic studies. Placement in graduate and doctorate programs depend on the quality of undergraduate course work.
Most KSU students and their families pay a lot for a degree from KSU. Shouldn't the school expand and improve the value of that degree?
Does the wider community really want to restrict KSU to mediocrity and community college status? It seems that fear is driving the local population to protest academic growth at KSU.
What is the local community afraid of really? As a community, let's define it, provide factual support and defend it with something other than generalizations about its influence over politics.
And before you go too far, take a good look at Emory and UGA programs. KSU is barely on the edge of academic achievement. "Feelings" about academics at the university level and actually experiencing it are often very different. Thankfully, KSU students choose their majors and their course study.
Let KSU students wear their big-girl and big-boy panties when they go off to university. Protecting them from new or different ideas and blocking expanding academic programs is counterproductive at best.
Susan Binns
Marietta
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A department of Cultural and Regional Studies would not be my first choice. But it is likely that such a department is easier to fund and establish than would be a department of say, nuclear physics. (Overhead and such).
KSU needs to be more comprehensive if it wishes to increase in size and quality. It has a great location, and enrollment should be no problem.
I agree with everything ATF says, except perhaps i have a little more affection for the sciences than he or she does. It is hard for me to consider someone literate if there is no understanding of the relationships between this universe's forces, and the maths we use for express those relationships.
ATF is right about there being a difference between education and training. A big, important difference.
M fresh is mistaken if (s)he thinks that KSU would remain healthy if it continued with only the programs it has. They are largely training based, and there is no shame in this, but it is not an endpoint for KSU.
If the leadership that short sighted, in 15 years you'd be wondering why KSU was so limited in its prestige and offerings, despite a good location and plenty of enrollment.
You might correctly wonder if the past university leadership had failed the university a little, in not laying down new departments and disciplines. And you'd be right.
There's more to a university education than training.
When I was trying to hire midlevel support personnel in the department I led, high on my agenda was finding someone who could write in whole sentences, punctuate correctly, and convey an idea. I also cared about finding someone who knew how to average a set of numbers and find a rate of change between two numbers. Finding someone who could actually think was like finding a diamond in the dust.
Many college graduates couldn't do any of this, including some from rather high falutin' academies of higher learning. Is anyone surprised to learn that frequently it was liberal arts majors who actually had real thinking and communication skills?
KSU is doing what it needs to do to serve our community for the future. Teaching our young people about other cultures will make it possible for them to deal better in a changing world of global markets and cultural pluralism.
Now, if we can just keep some of the liberal arts alive in our colleges and universities, maybe we will have future citizens and workers and fellow church members who can think, speak and write, convey ideas, formulate an argument to support a position, and discriminate between fact and fantasy.
Most employers would value a person who can understand complex texts and ideas, work well with different people, write with clarity and confidence, and solve problems through creativity and critical thinking. Humanities, liberal studies, English, and yes, the programs within this new department develop these skills. Professional programs--med schools, law schools--are especially interested in people who can read critically and write well.
Is it the name of the degree that matters most to you, or the skills someone learns?
As has been stated numerous times, the new department would consolidate existing programs and reduce bureaucracy by streamlining procedures. To that end it would likely save money.
Before sounding off about what you *think* a program is about, do your homework first. Uninformed opinions are pretty much worthless. A little humility-- "I'm not knowledgeable enough about the topic to comment" -- would be refreshing.
Uhhh. Costs for one. Wasting money on foolish tripe programs that produce graduates who will find no demand for their "skills" (except elsewhere in academia) is not worth putting taxpayer money on the line for. It is also an incredible disservice to hold out such a bogus department/study program as legitimate to incoming students (young and impressionable)--who ultimately want to be able to earn a good living when they graduate.
If this department does actually end up happening, they (as well as all others) should be required to provide full and honest disclosure of actual employment opportunities and associated incomes as well as honest statistics on actual graduates and their employment situation for a period of years after graduation...kinda like the law schools are now being pressured to do.
KSU with a football team is dumb enough. Add a Department of Cultural and Regional Studies and you have a university that is enough of a joke that I will not be supporting it.
If this department must happen in the State of Georgia, please put it down at GSU.
"What is the downside to adding a Department of Cultural and Regional Studies at Kennesaw State University?"
- smarter question is what is the cost/benefit of adding this program - especially at this time of great cutbacks
"KSU's enrollment places it third in the state, yet it ranks 22nd overall."
- ranks 22nd in what???????
"Is KSU's only path to train teachers, accountants and nurse administrators?"
- that seems like a noble and effective role for KSU
"KSU recently added a doctorate program in International Conflict and yet, ... it is woefully lacking in undergraduate and graduate academic support."
- perhaps KSU should not have launched the program if it couldn't line up the resources to make it a first class program. why even start the program if there is one down the road at GSU? seems like KSU is wasting taxpayer funds by adding duplicative programs that you think they can't support to an adequate level.
Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Why does Cobb want mediocrity for KSU