President Barack Obama took the time to apologize to University of Texas professor and art historian Ann Collins Johns after taking a jab at art history degree-holders last January in Wisconsin.
According to the Huffington Post, Obama's exact words were:
"I promise you, folks can make a lot more potentially with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree."
Johns took offense to his words and decided to write a letter to the President through the White House's official website. In a statement to Hyperallergic.com, the professor said she didn't save her letter to the Obama on Jan. 31, but gave a general summation of what she wrote.
"I'm pretty sure that my email was not so much one of outrage at his statement, but rather a 'look at what we do well' statement," Johns said. "I emphasized that we challenge students to think, read, and write critically. I also stressed how inclusive our discipline is these days (even though my own specialty is medieval and Renaissance Italy)."
Obama responded to Johns' email with a hand written note that reads:
Ann -
Let me apologize for my off-the-cuff remarks. I was making a point about the jobs market, not the value of art history. As it so happens, art history was one of my favorite subjects in high school, and it has helped me take in a great deal of joy in my life that I might otherwise have missed.
So please pass on my apology for the glib remark to the entire department, and understand that I was trying to encourage young people who may not be predisposed to a four year college experience to be open to technical training that can lead them to an honorable career.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
You can see the scan of Obama's hand written note here.
