Mississippi's state auditor says numerous social science and humanities degree programs are “indoctrination factories.”
— a phenomenon that sees significant numbers of college graduates earning their degrees in the mostly rural state and then departing for bigger paychecks and expanded cultural opportunities.
“Some high-paying degree programs were not likely to produce graduates who work in Mississippi, and this represents a missed opportunity for the state’s taxpayers,” the report said. “Producing more of these graduates and then retaining even a small number of them would inject millions of additional dollars into Mississippi’s economy.”
Today, more people earn degrees. College graduates are concentrated in the nation’s urban centers. Unlike many nearby states, Mississippi’s largest city, Jackson, has a shrinking population. The share of Mississippi’s population ages 25 and above who held at least a bachelor’s degree in 2020 was 22.8 %, which ranked 49th among all states, ahead of only West Virginia. In one online comment, White pointed to financial trouble and budget cuts at West Virginia’s largest public university as a sign Mississippi should defund some degree programs.to drop 28 of its majors and cut 143 faculty positions as it grapples with a $45 million budget shortfall.