Madelyn Detloff, Professor of English, and Miami University philosophy graduate student Kennedy Hughes, appeared recently on “Cincinnati Edition” to discuss challenges to the humanities. Detloff and Hughes were joined by Robert Townsend of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which has documented the career success of humanities students for several decades.

“We care very deeply about our students and their flourishing,” Detloff said. But decades of steady state cuts to higher education are “putting parents and students on the line for higher costs.” Higher costs, in turn, increase anxiety about jobs, even when evidence shows successful outcomes for a wide range of majors. “We also know that a humanities major does prepare you for the job market,” Detloff notes. “That’s partly the frustration. It’s not that professors or students or universities are not efficient.” “Ohio has a long tradition of a vibrant public education,” she remarks, but that tradition requires steady support. “We need to invest in our future,” she said, “We don’t want to give our students less than what they deserve.”

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