Reactionary higher education reforms might seem appealing in the here and now, but how will they affect future generations?

John Warner explores the lasting impact of current reforms at Inside Higher Education:

We’re Destroying Higher Education for Future Generations

I read the news last week…oh boy…
On Wednesday, the New York Times asked, “Is Your First Grader College Ready?”
Also on Wednesday, we learned that if Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed cuts to higher education go through we can expect massive contraction of faculty and courses at the flagship LSU campus, which will get off lucky, because it will at least stay open, unlike some of the other colleges and universities of the Louisiana system.

Gov. Scott Walker picked Wednesday to try to undo over a century of the Wisconsin Idea by erasing it from the mission statement of the University of Wisconsin system. Walking (get it?) it back quickly, Walker blamed the changes on a “drafting error,” which deserves to join “mistakes were made” and “it depends on what your definition of is, is” in the Hall of Fame of political weaseldom. The kerfuffle over the language distracted everyone from the $300 million Walker wants to cut from the university, which is the far bigger story.

And finally, on Thursday, we found out that according to the “National Norms” survey of American freshmen, more first-year students than ever report having experienced depression.

So, in sum, we have to make sure kids as young as six are concerned about matriculating to something that might not exist where they’ll spend their time being depressed and anxious.

That college students are increasingly depressed and stressed out is not news to those of us who interact with them. I teach writing, not work in a counseling center and it’s obvious even to me. In July 2012, I wrote about the increasing number of students crying in my office. In April 2014, it was the “Anxiety Crisis,” and in May I pleaded with the entire education system to stop “destroying” students.