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Reject ‘Joe Six-Pack’ in Favor of Truly Well-Educated Leaders
William A. Sederburg, Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
William Sederburg, Utah’s commissioner of higher education, was disillusioned during the presidential campaign by the “subtle and not-so-subtle attacks on liberal education,” he writes in an opinion column in the Deseret Morning News. “In the early stages of the campaign, candidates with advanced degrees from Ivy League schools were referred to as ‘elitist,’ Sederburg writes. “Toward the end of the campaign, Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, became a celebrity….The press gave him more coverage than any professor of public policy could achieve.”
While possession of a college degree does not guarantee that one is educated, it is not a bad surrogate, Sederburg argues. The skills needed for success in college are virtually the same as the skills employers want their employees to have, he points out—familiarity with science and technology, the ability to work within diverse teams, problem-solving skills, and strong verbal and written communication skills. “I believe the educated person is more vitally important today than any time in the past,” Sederburg writes. “I hope the political system will regain some balance and place greater emphasis on reasonable, well-thought analysis by educated people of the troubles we face.”
The full text of Sederburg’s opinion piece may be read online.
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