by William Skink

Don’t be misled by the PR Orwellian newspeak coming from the University of Montana, the recently unveiled “Strategy of Distinction” is an obfuscation of the real intent, which is this: use the budget crisis to take a machete to the humanities.

Now, according to this cry for help published in the Missoulian last Sunday, one looming consequence of the proposed cuts is the real possibility UM could lose the distinction of offering one of the premier MFA writing programs in the country.

In the article, a professor I’ve had the pleasure of taking a class from had this to say:

“My question to the public is, ‘Is this what you want?”’ Blunt said. “We are touted as one of the marquee programs at the University of Montana. We are trotted out frequently in that guise. And they are starving us to death.”

The attack on humanities is not new, and not unique to the University of Montana. It is not even limited to higher education in the US, according to this NYT article from 2013:

In the global marketplace of higher education, the humanities are increasingly threatened by decreased funding and political attacks.

Financing for humanities research in the United States has fallen steadily since 2009, and in 2011 was less than half of one percent of the amount dedicated to science and engineering research and development. This trend is echoed globally: According to a report in Research Trends magazine, by Gali Halevi and Judit Bar-Ilan, international arts and humanities funding has been in constant decline since 2009.

Rosemary G. Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association of America, says the decline in funding for humanities research in the United States is related both to fiscal emergencies and “the devaluing of the humanities, especially by legislators who themselves have not experienced first-hand the value of studying the humanities.”

Last year a task force convened by Gov. Rick Scott of Florida recommended that students majoring in liberal arts and social science subjects should pay higher tuition fees, arguing they were “nonstrategic disciplines.” Reacting against that, an online petition, which more than 2,000 people signed, warned that the differential tuition model would lead “to a decimation of the liberal arts in Florida.”

The attack on humanities is not just some business-minded solution to budget problems, it’s part of a larger attack on our capacity as humans to be connected to our past and to feel empowered to shape our future. A mindless present unmoored from historical context and unconcerned about the suicidal recklessness of our consumption is great for short-term shareholder profits, but terrible for life on earth—all life.

To repeat Judy Blunt’s question to the public, is this what you want, Missoula?