During a radio interview on ↑The Marc Bernier Show on 10 October 2011 Rick Scott, the governor of Florida (his ↑daughter has a degree in anthropology—and ↑doesn’t like her father’s stance), voiced the following:

We don’t need a lot more anthropologists in the state. It’s a great degree if people want to get it, but we don’t need them here. I want to spend our dollars giving people science, technology, engineering, and math degrees. That’s what our kids need to focus all their time and attention on, those types of degrees, so when they get out of school, they can get a job.

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) swiftly responded with a ↓short letter, Rex Golub at Savage Minds ↑revokes the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, and there’s a general uprise. To get it all, have a look at ↑Daniel Lende’s huge post with tons of links and updates. In his ↑reaction John Hawks says:

It’s very difficult to come up with a rapid and effective reply from an organization or department, so I understand these aren’t as punchy as they might be. Still, it seems to me a vastly more effective response would describe the economic impact of anthropologists in Florida, the dollar amounts of federal and private grants they bring to Florida universities, their role as custodians of natural and cultural history, and their history of engagement with indigenous and immigrant peoples in the state.

The response along this line of argument came from students. A ↑short and pointed piece by Diana Harrelson of ↑Cyber Anthropology and ↑then antropologi.info
hinted me towards the slideshow ↑This is Anthropology made by students at the University of Florida.