liberal arts

WICHITA, Kansas — Consider the mounting money problems facing public universities in Kansas.

Decades of ballooning tuition have made students and their families increasingly worried about college debt. Tech schools offer cheaper faster paths to a solid job. Help from taxpayers has waned.

Then came the pandemic. Campuses had to spend heavily to retool for safety during the outbreak. Still, large numbers of students and the money they would have spent on dorms, tuition and the like stayed away.

The discussion of higher education in Kansas often focuses on expanding technical and STEM education. Less attention has been paid to liberal arts, which has seen majors cut and enrollment fall across the country.