A recent Letter to the Editor, “MUN should cut programs that don’t match N.L. job market” compelled me to write this letter. In which I will do my best to explain why the suggested actions in the aforementioned letter are not only flawed, but also simply unreasonable.
I will begin where the previous letter ended, “the university offers programs in German, Spanish, Russian, ancient languages, classics, ancient worlds, humanities, gender studies, sociology and fine arts. While some may argue that these degrees can be used as stepping stones for gaining professional degrees, the fact still stands that none of these programs can directly be turned into local employment by themselves.”
First and foremost, grouping all of these respective programs together while making an overly generalized and foolhardy point that they are merely stepping stones for other degrees, and cannot be turned into local employment by themselves is simply ridiculous, and I am going to break it down.
Yes, not every program by itself is going to translate perfectly into local employment, or employment at all — but very few do. Even traditionally recognized programs like business, engineering, education and other similar programs don’t immediately convert to meaningful employment from the very beginning.
In many circumstances additional education is required in order to achieve desired employment. It is disingenuous to make that original point about those specific programs when few programs convert to meaningful employment by themselves.
Stepping stones in a gross understatement. In many cases those programs are essential. For example, Memorial University has an excellent business school, this is not simply a biased statement from a current business student, but a view solidified by the quality of our professors, alumni, and the success of our acclaimed Enactus Team.
One of the programs offered is our International Bachelor of Business Administration or i.B.B.A program. A requirement to complete that program is a Cross-Cultural Study Experience which provides an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the culture, business environment, and language of their second global region in the context of the skills gained in the i.B.B.A. program.
One of the requirements is if the region you are going does not speak English as their primary language you would need to complete courses in their primary language.
In addition, these programs can be an essential boost to ones’ employability.
Spanish is one of the top five spoken languages in the world. Germany is one of the largest economies in Europe and an important player for international business, and Gender Studies is an important area of study in our world of today — with gender analysis becoming an essential component of policy development. These are just a few examples of the endless possibilities.
Next I would like to talk about these statement from the previous letter: “I believe the university is pushing students towards doing these courses just for the purposes of boosting enrolment in fleeting programs. I also believe university leadership clearly understands that the university is funding many programs which are not useful at for gaining local employment.”
Sure, I understand this is an opinion section and you are welcome to your opinion but if you are going to use a public forum like this to articulate your opinion and make claims you must be prepared to offer real explanation, and evidence.
I understand that the previous letter’s aim was to offer an opinion on how our provinces’ only university should tackle its financial issues, however I am not here to offer an alternate viewpoint on that. I am simply here to explain why the solution offered is not a solution, but simply a flawed and unreasonable opinion that fails to understand the role and importance of the post-secondary education MUN offers.
To take some of the words of the previous article, “If MUN wants to be a 21st-century university” I believe it needs to continue offering the comprehensive education it currently offers.
Matthew Babb
Bachelor of Business Administration student
St. John’s
