There was a time when a working-class kid from Long Island with an associate’s degree, some solid school newspaper experience, and a decent internship could break into the field of local journalism without carrying a soul-crushing, economically crippling load of student debt.
That time is quickly fading into the past. A recent decision by Suffolk Community College to stop offering journalism as a major is a major mistake, if you ask us, both for society as well as for young people seeking a highly portable skill that would serve them well in the increasingly complex workplace.
At its best, journalism exists to keep governments accountable and communities healthy. But a critical component of this system is having journalists who bring diverse views and experiences with them to the job every day. What happens when only students from wealthy families can afford the tuition bill — or more colleges back away entirely from solid training for reporters and editors?
The numbers help illustrate why we’re upset: Annual tuition at Hofstra University, a private college in Hempstead with a widely respected communications program, is $57,660 per year, not including room and board, books, and other costs associated with higher education. A prospective journalism student at Adelphi University, also in Nassau County, can expect to pay a base rate of $47,270.
Annual tuition at Stony Brook University, a public college that also offers a journalism major, is $14,140. And two semesters of tuition at Suffolk Community College, according to its website, cost $5,640. (Nassau Community College, with a similarly affordable tuition, offers a general communication arts degree, not a specific journalism major.)
Education is supposed to be society’s great equalizer, capable of sustaining democracy. Community colleges, an extension of public schools, play a huge role in that and can be stepping stones to great careers. We can only hope that Suffolk Community College’s decision is an isolated one and not indicative of a larger trend in higher education. Otherwise, democracy would be in even more danger than it already is.