Does Wichita have an anti-college attitude?
Russell Fox, a professor of political science at Friends University, has heard that theory — most recently in a report by economist James Chung — and wants to explore the issue further.
“In the row where I was sitting (during Chung’s presentation), people were nodding their heads and saying, ‘Oh yeah, that confirms everything,” Fox said. “Those nodding heads convinced me that I ought to see if there’s some way I could organize something where we can talk about this amongst ourselves.”
On Thursday, Fox will host a roundtable discussion about higher education in Wichita, exploring local perceptions and how to learn from them. The free event is 7 to 9 p.m. on the lower level of the Casado Campus Center at Friends University, 2100 W. University.
“Let’s talk about the impressions of college as an experience in general that we see in Wichita,” he said.
“Are negative feelings, to the extent they exist, more political or cultural? . . . And why would it be that maybe there’s more of this kind of attitude in Wichita than in other places?”
During a recent analysis of Wichita’s strengths and weaknesses, Chung pointed to a survey by the Pew Research Center, in which Americans were asked: “Would you say a college education is extremely important, very important, somewhat important or not too important in helping a young person succeed in the world today?”
Nationwide, about 77 percent of respondents said college is extremely or very important. In Wichita, only 54 percent said so.“I’ve never been in a city where people are so willing, proactively, to talk negatively about higher education institutions and about higher education in general,” Chung said during his presentation.
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