The Cost of Downgrading Our Degrees

When Expertise Is Under Attack: A Call to Action

What we are witnessing at the Department of Education (DOE) isn’t a minor policy update — it’s an atrocity that strikes at the heart of families like mine, professionals like me, and the communities who depend on the very fields the Department of Education is attempting to downgrade.

Let me be very clear: This is the kind of mess that has you inhaling faith and exhaling fire. Because what we are *not* about to do is sit quietly while an entire swath of life-saving, world-shaping professions gets downgraded like somebody’s Groupon coupon code.

The Personal Impact of Policy Changes

As someone who has spent nearly two decades in public health, wellness leadership, equity work, higher education, and health systems strategy, this hits harder than people realize. But it’s not just professional for me — it’s personal.

My son receives essential support from speech-language pathology and physical therapy, two fields now being casually labeled as “non-professional.” The clinicians who serve him are skilled, trained, and certified in ways that cannot be replaced or erased by a bureaucratic reclassification.

My twin sister is a therapist whose clinical expertise literally transforms lives. Calling what she does anything less than professional is not only disrespectful — it’s dangerous.

On top of that, I’ve spent my career building the pipeline these professions rely on:

• I have trained and mentored countless emerging leaders as an internship preceptor in public health and health administration.

• I have shaped the next generation of practitioners as faculty, program developer, and dissertation chair across multiple universities.

• As an Associate Vice President of Student Health and Wellness, I supervised clinicians, administrators, and health leaders responsible for the care of tens of thousands of students.

  
  

I know the depth, the rigor, the licensure, the standards, and the responsibility these fields require because I have trained, evaluated, supervised, and advocated for the professionals who carry this work forward.

So yes — I take this personally. Because the degrees being targeted aren’t “optional.” They’re essential. They’re the reason children learn to speak. The reason elders walk again. The reason trauma survivors recover. The reason public health crises are mitigated. The reason entire universities, hospitals, and communities stay safe, educated, and supported.

The Consequences of Devaluation

Reclassifying these degrees doesn’t only disrespect a profession — it destabilizes an entire ecosystem of care, safety, learning, and community well-being. If anything, this proves we have been perfectly positioned for such a time as this: to speak boldly, advocate fiercely, and protect the professions that protect the people.

We cannot — and will not — be silent. Not as parents. Not as clinicians. Not as scholars. Not as public health leaders. Not as therapists. Not as educators. Not as mentors who have trained the very workforce being attacked. Not as citizens who understand what’s truly at stake.

What We Lose When We Devalue Essential Professions

When we diminish the degrees and disciplines that hold our communities together, the loss is far greater than the titles stripped from a federal document.

We lose trust — in institutions, in leadership, and in the systems designed to safeguard our well-being.

We lose workforce stability — because fewer students will enter fields the government refuses to respect, and burnout will accelerate among those who stay.

We lose access — to speech therapy, counseling, nursing care, rehabilitation, education, public health services, and essential supports that families like mine rely on every single day.

We lose expertise — the kind that keeps hospitals running, universities healthy, children learning, and communities safe.

We lose equity — because the communities most harmed by reduced access to these professions are the same communities already battling disparities in education, health, and opportunity.

We lose preparedness — weakening our ability to respond to crises like pandemics, mental health emergencies, learning loss, or community trauma.

We lose dignity — for the professionals who have poured years of study, training, practice, and sacrifice into careers now being told their work is somehow lesser.

And most dangerously, we lose the unseen safety net that these fields quietly maintain every day — the work that doesn’t make headlines but keeps our society standing.

Devaluing essential professions doesn’t just harm the workforce. It harms all of us. Because a nation that downgrades care, healing, education, safety, and service is a nation actively choosing fragility over strength — scarcity over support — and short-sightedness over stewardship.

Our Commitment to Advocacy

But here is what we will not lose: Our voice. Our advocacy. Our purpose. Our commitment to the people we serve. Our fire.

This moment is not just a policy decision — it’s a call to action. And we will answer it. Downgrading our degrees will not downgrade our impact. And it certainly will not downgrade our purpose.

Elbert Innovative Solutions stands firm in this conviction.

Final Thoughts: Stand Up and Speak Out

In conclusion, I urge you to reflect on the implications of these changes. What does it mean for you, your family, and your community? How can you stand up for the essential professions that shape our lives?

Let’s not wait for others to advocate for us. It’s time to take action, to speak out, and to ensure that our voices are heard. Together, we can create a future where every profession is valued, and every individual is empowered.

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