15 Thought-Provoking Questions for America’s Next President
CFA Dean Harvey Young poses a question about policies and initiatives to bolster the arts.
Photo via iStock/lucky-photographer
15 Thought-Provoking Questions for America’s Next President, Posed by BU Community
We asked what question they’d like to see asked of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
This article was originally published in BU Today on October 1, 2024. By BU Today staff
What is one question that, if given the chance, you would like to ask Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, in the run-up to the November 5 presidential election?
We took that question across Boston University and asked people to explain why their question was so important to answer for American voters. We got back a diverse collection of provocative questions, including one about the arts posed by BU College of Fine Arts Dean Harvey Young.
What policies and initiatives would you implement to bolster the arts and culture across the USA?
As the world emerged from WWII, among the United States’ great exports were art and culture. The ripple effect is legendary. The Beatles, growing up in war-ravaged Liverpool, were inspired by the music of Little Richard. Cultural diplomacy in the form of tours by American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey helped to thaw the Cold War.
However, federal funding for the arts and humanities have failed to keep pace with inflation over recent decades and, increasingly, face threats of outright cancellation.
Furthermore, arts and music education in public school have been on a decline due to limited funding. There have been calls to dramatically increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as to appoint a cabinet-level secretary for the arts and culture.
What are your thoughts on these calls as well as on how America can regain its prominence as a world leader in the arts and culture?