| 7,000 to FL Gov. Rick Scott: No Cuts to Liberal Arts EducationWCTV Blog Listing | ||||
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ORLANDO, FL – October 27, 2011 - 
More than 7,000 people have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on the state legislature to defend liberal arts education from cuts proposed by Florida Governor Rick Scott. Lyndsey Fitzgerald, a former Navy linguist who is currently a junior anthropology major at the University of Central Florida, is leading the campaign on Change.org following an announcement by Governor Scott that he will propose deep cuts to Florida’s public school liberal arts programs in order to fund increases in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes. “Governor Scott is setting up a false conflict between liberal arts and STEM degrees,” said Fitzgerald, who launched the campaign on Change.org. “I spent nearly nine years as a linguist in the U.S. Navy. I saw firsthand the absolute necessity of linguistic, historical, and cultural understanding in very complicated situations. Slashing liberal arts funding only to divert that funding to STEM programs is a short-sighted move with long-term educational and economic consequences.” Florida’s public university system has seen a 24 percent drop in state funding over the last four years. Critics worry that Scott’s proposal, if enacted, would set a dangerous precedent of partisan interests directing academic study. News of the online petition campaign’s success is likely to increase pressure on Florida legislators to rethink Governor Scott’s higher education cuts. Within hours of the campaign’s launch, Fitzgerald had recruited hundreds of supporters on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change. “What Lyndsey has accomplished in just a week’s time is remarkable,” said Change.org Senior Organizer Carol Scott. “With no budget and armed with only an internet connection, Lyndsey Fitzgerald has managed to recruit more than 7,000 supporters from all over the country. Change.org is about empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them, and it has been incredible to watch Lyndsey’s campaign take off.” |
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