Practical application of skills is a prerequisite for a decent career in almost any job field. This is surely, in part, why many university degree programs require the completion of some form of internship or practicum as a graduation requirement. Nursing and journalism are just a few examples.

Any good university, then, to some extent, ought to assist students in their endeavor to find opportunities where they can gain practical skills.

The Child Study Center, a part of the University of Maine’s psychology department, presents an excellent opportunity for aspiring psychology majors to demonstrate their abilities to interact and work with potential clients, an obviously beneficial skill during a job hunt.

In 2011, former UMaine president Robert Kennedy created a program that was designed to cut $12.5 million between 2011 and 2014, putting several majors and programs in danger of complete elimination. Among these is the Child Study Center.

The economic malaise makes budgeting understandably difficult, especially given how many obligations a state university has. But prioritization, which assuredly has to occur, should weigh educational opportunities higher than certain other university functions.

After all, university classes that are required to graduate from a program are not free. Departments ought to facilitate those students who pay for the privilege of being educated.

Research grants and publicity are important to the more bureaucratic side of university function, obviously. After all, any educational entity also must function as a business on some level to ensure its continued existence. And research grants bring money and notoriety into a school, as does publicity, through the channel of bringing in more tuition dollars.

But, those tuition dollars ought to be reinvested in the education that many students work very hard, economically and intellectually, to better themselves with.

Really, isn’t the best sort of publicity the phenomenal success of a degree-program graduate? When alumni go on to achieve great prowess in their chosen field, they also bring acclaim back to the university they attended. It is logical to assume that, to some extent, the quality of education that person received contributed to their success.

This is why it’s important for universities to provide opportunities where students get to practically apply the theory they’ve learned in their coursework. Companies are less likely to hire individuals who can’t prove that they are actually capable of completing tasks that fall within the purview of their degree. And this reflects negatively on a university.

By cutting money to programs that help students develop their practical skills, like the Child Study Center, UMaine puts themselves at risk of having a bevy of alumni who graduate without fully demonstrating their abilities. This is a disservice not only to the academic standing of the school, but to all those who pay for the privilege of attending.

The Blue Sky Project is important, certainly. A university campus in a state of decay doesn’t help promote it. And unique and original research is important to bolster academic standing as well. But the question has to be asked — are new entrance signs and grant proposals really as effective a use of money as practical programs like the Child Study Center?