When I first discovered that UMBC's budget cuts would postpone the development of new writing-intensive courses in all academic programs, I was a bit concerned. The ability to write well is a necessary skill for all students aspiring to get ahead in the competitive real world. Cuts in writing-intensive courses could lead to more and more students graduating without the ability to communicate through the written word. Fortunately, the administration, faculty, and teaching staff are doing everything they can to move forward despite the budget cuts. In the long run, new writing-intensive courses will be developed and students will have more opportunities to learn how to write.

Although this may be very disappointing to some math and science majors who were looking forward to avoiding writing-intensive courses, these classes could be especially helpful for students who don't have very much writing experience outside of the occasional research paper. Students equipped with only high-school level writing skills often struggle with writing coherent papers and produce works littered with easily avoidable grammatical and structural mistakes.

This is a huge disadvantage when it comes to searching for jobs outside of school. A poorly-written resume can seriously hinder an otherwise competent job applicant, and a good student without the ability to write well could very likely lose a potential job to a slightly worse student who has stronger writing and communication skills. Even if a student manages to secure a job without any writing skills, his or her career will most likely be less successful than it would have been otherwise. Proposals for research or business initiatives will almost always be rejected if they are not properly explained and expressed with some eloquence. Also, no matter how brilliant a researcher, programmer, or mathematician one may be, one's work will have a difficult time reaching the public without being properly described and explained through written language.

Those who have a hard time believing that this will really affect their future work would do well to remember the past. Have you ever heard of Alfred Russell Wallace? Have you ever heard of Charles Darwin? Both scientists discovered evolution at the same time; however, only one of them was able to successfully communicate his findings. Students aspiring to be leaders in their workforces, communities, and the world also need to have some experience in the written word if they hope to get ahead of their competition. An eloquent writer is often viewed as more charismatic and intelligent than one without the ability to express their thoughts and work in words. An ability to write may also assist one in speech-making, as a student with writing skills will be familiar with the rhetorical devices necessary to make a compelling speech.

Very few college graduates will be able to coast by without the ability to write. I can only hope that this postponement of the development of new and interesting writing-intensive courses will not last long for the sake of all college students lacking the ability to write well.