Protect liberal arts classes at UNC

*This petition refers to all UNC system schools!*
Governor Pat McCrory has only been in office for two weeks, and already he wants to dismantle some of the most highly-regarded education programs in the nation. In an interview January 29, he took aim at UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina's flagship university and one of the best in the country. Specifically, he said, "I think some of the educational elite have taken over our education where we are offering courses that have no chance of getting people jobs," referring to liberal arts courses. If someone wants to take a course such as "gender studies," he said, "go to a private school and take it."

I was an English major, one of the so-called "educational elite" majors to which McCrory is referring. I became a teacher and helped kids in North Carolina go to college themselves. Our so-called "subsidized" Gender Studies program McCrory wants to nix has staffed students in rape crisis centers, research centers, NGO work, businesses, and law offices, among other places.

Liberal arts courses don't *train* students, they *educate* them, preparing them to think critically, adapt to new situations, communicate effectively, and innovate--all skills the next generation needs in this ever-changing economy. McCrory himself has a liberal arts degree, which apparently enabled him to become Governor! We need to stand up this hypocrisy now and protect the valuable institution we have at UNC, before we become an assembly line rather than a school.

Source of the quotes: http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/mccrory_wants_to_revamp_higher_ed_funding_takes_aim_at_uncchapel_hill#storylink=cpy