University of Illinois to hire 500 New Faculty and Increase Funding for Humanities and Social Science by 50%

Good news for Humanities and Social Science disciplines here.

Reading the news report, I was interested in how such an outlay of resources would be justified by Chancellor Wise:

“In 20 to 50 years, there will be fewer great research universities than there are today,” Wise said. “I believe that the ones that will survive and thrive are the ones that embrace and manage change. They are the ones where excellence is both broad and deep. They are the ones that will be relevant to society, that will add value to the people who are paying for that education. They will be the ones that contribute to the quality of life of the citizens around them, and they will be the ones that perceive the sense of urgency, that are agile enough to embrace change and not be managed by the changes.”

I'm assuming that 500 faculty lines won't be added in these disciplines, but the article is a bit unclear on that.  Still, it's good news.  It seems that the reasons that she gives boil down to two:

1.  These fields contribute to the quality of life of not just the individuals who get these degrees but also the people in their community.

2. The skills students in these programs will acquire skills that will make them more adaptable to an ever-changing work environment.

Obviously, there must be studies to support both of these claims; is anyone aware of any good ones?

Via Leiter.