Editorial: Santorum’s ‘snob’ comment misrepresents higher ed

Despite what GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum thinks, college is not consistent with snobbery. Despite what GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum thinks, college is not consistent with snobbery.

Over the weekend, Santorum claimed, “President [Barack] Obama has said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.” We can’t find any direct instance of Obama stating that he wants everyone to go to college, but we can clearly see that he holds it in high regard.

With statements like “We can’t allow higher education to be a luxury in this country. It’s an economic imperative that every family in America has to be able to afford,” and “Every child deserves a great school,” it’s obvious that Obama appreciates education.

But there’s no evidence that what Santorum suggests — that Obama is pushing a typical four-year college experience for everyone — has ever been said.

The closest Obama has come to stating that he “wants everyone to go to college” was in his speech to Congress in 2009. He said, “I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship.”

There’s nothing snobby about suggesting that people of all abilities pursue education.

Santorum’s audacity to be derisive of higher education when he himself has earned three degrees — two are from state-related Pitt and Penn State — is incredibly hypocritical.

Putting words in Obama’s mouth is the foundation of this partisan jab, which doesn’t speak well of Santorum as a presidential candidate.

But if we place Santorum’s candidacy aside, we have an unfortunate problem underneath this political play. Tying higher education with indoctrination and snobbery is a damaging generalization that instills a profound anti-intellectual mindset in people who unfortunately buy into this kind of drivel.

Don’t get sucked in: Higher education is as important as ever.

Forget the brainy side of academe for a second — let’s explore the less “snobby” benefits of a college education: decreased crime, teen pregnancy and poverty rates.

According to the Justice Policy Institute, states with higher college enrollment rates have lower violent crime rates than those with lower enrollment rates. In addition, the 10 states that spent the most money on higher education over a five-year period saw a decrease in violent crime rates.

So not only does having students in college prevent violent crime, but states that simply devote more attention to colleges prevent it, too.

In addition, teen pregnancy — which is often unplanned — is strongly tied to academic failure for both teens and their children. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that simply planning to attend college after high school is associated with a lower risk of teen pregnancy.

And finally, US News & World Report reported last year that, although the gap between the more educated and the less educated might be closing, it’s still significant. Those with bachelor’s degrees still earn about $1 million more in their lifetimes than those with only high school diplomas.

So unlike Mr. Santorum seems to think, making higher education a priority is not snobby — it’s essential for preserving and advancing civilization.

Rest easy, college students, for we are here with a noble cause.