Valuing Humanities Education at the University of Texas

For some time now the humanities have been “in crisis,” but the crisis is becoming acute: majors in nearly all humanities fields have been sharply declining, enrollments are down, hiring of tenure-track faculty is down, and, at some colleges and universities across the United States, whole departments are being eliminated. Here at the University of Texas, majors that are growing seem to be ones that promise a literal return on investment (invest money in a degree and get that money back, in the form of a well-paying job upon graduation) or at least suggest an obvious and practical use. But there is a fundamental misunderstanding among students and the general public about why training in the humanities is not only practical but strongly advisable for success in many if not most careers, and crucial to the task of creating empathetic, engaged, and active citizens. My goal is to identify, create, and promote tools that help both faculty and students recognize and articulate the “transferable skills” and the sense of vocation gained through studying the humanities. Aligned with this work is an effort to reframe the meaning of “success” beyond pecuniary gain to include job satisfaction and the sense of performing a social good.