Editorial: U of M should reconsider elitist direction

Published 12:00 am Monday, June 20, 2005

For years, many have treated the University of Minnesota as if it should be everything to everyone. Recently, by an 11-1 vote, Regents opted to take the university in a direction that some have hailed as elitist and racist because of the closure of the General College.

Whether university President Robert Bruininks spoke the truth when he said the programs of the General College would remain, it is important to realize that elitism already exists in the system.

It was imposed the moment Gov. Tim Pawlenty stopped valuing education instead of trying to grab some political capital. Policy decisions are his own, but the bottom line is that students in the University of Minnesota system have been paying unfair, astronomical increases in tuition because of his choices. And for most, it’s not easy.

Email newsletter signup

Given that Pawlenty’s re-election bid is likely just around the corner, it’s convenient that he recently elected to approve most of the university’s budget request, falling only $20 million short.

The university has elected to consolidate its 18 colleges to 15 by 2006, covering that deficit saving $25 million over the next two to five years.

The creation of an honors college for undergraduates and the integration of the General College into the College of Education and Human Development, along with the stated goal of becoming one of the worlds top three research institutions within the next decade, puts the university in a precarious situation.

A recent survey commissioned by the university shows this path is at odds with what many Minnesotans want from the university &045; a place where even the underprepared are welcome.

But the General College can no longer be the only venue where diversity of educational background, race and scholastic ability is encouraged. University officials place four-year graduation rates at fewer than 10 percent and less than one out of three students graduate in six years. For a university that needs to help and educate so many, those standards are unacceptable.

The days where every other student graduating from Stillwater Area High School applies to and attends the university may be soon gone. But there is no shortage of options, public or private, for a student who wants to attend a Minnesota college or university throughout the state.

&045; Stillwater Gazette