To the editor:

Kansas needs to produce more graduates in high economic value fields to grow the state economy. Despite the Kansas Board of Regents’ claim that $62 million from Kansas taxpayers would overcome recent inflation, address deferred items of need and increase nursing and engineering opportunities for students, the constraint facing the Legislature is that tax revenues from state income are likely to grow very slightly in the next few years. Thus, KBOR asserts a need to re-allocate present level of tax revenue instead of other priorities.

This would not be so ironic if KBOR would re-allocate from numerous non-essential academic programs into essentials such as nursing, allied health, engineering, and biosciences. Does Kansas need courses at multiple institutions in opera production? Musicology? Gender Studies? Ancient languages? I suggest state leaders eliminate redundant scholarship areas that do not move the needle for the economy.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook forecasts professions that will grow over the next decade. We shouldn’t encourage students to obtain loans to pursue study in a field with no economically viable professional path. According to the National Center for Education Statistics in the 2008-09 academic year, Kansas public universities produced 585 graduates with psychology degrees and 440 graduates with parks, recreation and leisure studies degrees, but only five environmental engineers and 27 physician assistants. This limited example of the gross imbalance between non-essential degrees and profession-ready graduates exemplifies malfeasance concerning our higher education tax dollars. KBOR: Shame on you for requesting more when you have badly mishandled our tax dollars.

Michael K. Kelly,

Lawrence