Much of the recent dialogue surrounding the higher education system has focused on encouraging students to fulfill the demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers in the United States; some even claim that college students who study the humanities will face significant barriers when entering the workforce.
On Jan. 30, President Obama contributed to this national conversation during a speech he delivered in Wisconsin, in which he discussed the nation's educational climate.
I promise you, folks can make a lot more, potentially, with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree," Obama said.
Peter Probst, professor and chair of the Tufts Department of Art and Art History, was attending a conference in Germany when he read the President's remark.
"My first reaction was astonishment," Probst told the Daily in an email. "I did not expect such a comment from Obama. But I am afraid I was just naive. Dropping smoke grenades [is] part of the political business."
According to the Tufts University 2012-13 Fact Book, the humanities are comprised of five majors: classics, comparative religion, English, history and philosophy. The arts include architectural studies, art history, drama and dance and music. 218 students graduated with one of these as their first major in 2011, and, in 2012, the humanities produced 202 graduates.
With 80 graduates, English was the most popular major of the humanities in 2012
