Liberal Education and America's Promise
Speeches and Articles
Featured Article: Team aims to reform liberal education
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Advance-Titan's Jessica Bedore wrote an article about the UW-Oshkosh Liberal Reform Education Team's (LERT) work to change the way that liberal arts classes are presented and organized on campus. She writes, "According to UW-Oshkosh's LERT Web site, 'The Liberal Education Reform Team is charged with presenting a framework for student learning outcomes to be adopted by the UW-Oshkosh. The following outcomes, based on those from the Association of American Colleges & Universities, are being proposed for campus-wide discussion and adoption.'”
News Articles and Programs on Liberal Education
Op-Eds and Editorials Making the Case for Liberal Education
Speeches Making the Case for Liberal Education
News Articles and Programs on Liberal Education
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Advance-Titan's Jessica Bedore wrote an article about the UW-Oshkosh Liberal Reform Education Team's (LERT) work to change the way that liberal arts classes are presented and organized on campus. She writes, "According to UW-Oshkosh's LERT Web site, 'The Liberal Education Reform Team is charged with presenting a framework for student learning outcomes to be adopted by the UW-Oshkosh. The following outcomes, based on those from the Association of American Colleges & Universities, are being proposed for campus-wide discussion and adoption.'”
President of Wesleyan University Michael Roth wrote a blog post for The Huffington Post entitled, "Liberal Arts Education: From Clubbiness to Cosmopolitanism." Roth states, "The great advantage of our cosmopolitan liberal arts education is that it allows students to explore international, virtual networks of knowledge while learning the virtues (the pleasures and effectiveness) of face-to-face conversation, team participation and cooperation. Whether learning music or biophysics, consistent personal contact with teachers and fellow-students deepens education. The key is that the students at these schools are developing skills, learning how to learn, in ways that will serve them for decades."
Reporter Jennifer Rich wrote an article for The Bradenton Herald entitled, "Liberal arts education touted as way to promote analytical thinking." Rich states, "New College in Sarasota, Florida is designated as an honors college for the liberal arts, also has been touted by business leaders as a good liberal arts school to attend for those with a business focus in mind."
In his recent book, Real Education, Charles Murray presents several controversial positions regarding the role of liberal education in both K-12 and post-secondary education. The release of this book has prompted several valuable responses, including an article by Tony Carnevale in the current issue of Liberal Education. Carnevale is a research professor and director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. From 1996 to 2006, he was vice president for public leadership at the Educational Testing Service. Christopher B. Nelson, president of St. John's College in Annapolis , Maryland, also delivered remarks concerning Charles Murray's Real Education on October 8, 2008 at the CATO Institute.
"Emergency Management Training Must Include Liberal Arts Education," by Bob Jaffin (Government Technology, March 27, 2008). In arguing for the importance of a liberal education, this emergency management instructor writes, "I've become increasingly discouraged as more and more students demonstrate they can't apply conceptual thinking to relatively simple scenarios. And this is compounded by their inability to write coherent sentences and paragraphs that can be assembled into cohesive, focused and comprehensible papers."
"Make Engineering a Liberal Art With Social Relevance, Report Suggests," by Jeffrey Brainard ( The Chronicle, December 14, 2007, subscription required). This article about the report, "Engineering for a Changing World: A Roadmap to the Future of Engineering Practice, Research, and Education," summarizes that "engineers should receive a liberal-arts education as undergraduates and then pursue graduate degrees as a standard route into the profession."
"A Core Curriculum for Tomorrow's Citizens" by Harvard professor Harry Lewis (The Chronicle, subscription required, September 7, 2007) discusses the purpose of a core curriculum in light of recent debates in higher education.
A feature article in Hispanic Outlook, "Broader Skill Sets Needed in Global Economy" (pdf, August 27, 2007) reports on finding and recommendations from AAC&U's report, College Learning for the New Global Century.
An article on FOXNews.com (August 16, 2006) examines the benefits of a liberal education combined with practical experience.
An article in Inside Higher Ed (July 28, 2006) explores the pitfalls of a narrowly focused engineering degree.
An article in New Jersey's Daily Record (April 29, 2006) outlines the plans of Drew University's new president, Robert Weisbuch.
A program on NPR's Diane Rehm show (April 14, 2006) discusses what students are and should be learning in college.
An essay (pdf, March/April 2006) in International Educator explores ten characteristics of a liberally educated person and discusses liberal education in Asia.
An article on Rediff.com (March 9, 2006) by FastCompany writer Alison Overholt encourages us to "Embrace the Liberal Arts (Again)."
An article in Southern Illinois University Carbondale's student paper the Daily Egyptian highlights the benefits of a new program that aims to diversify areas of liberal arts study.
An article posted to MSN Careers explains how communication skills can give liberal arts graduates an edge in today's workplace.
in an article in LIBERALARTSONLINE, James T. Knauer argues that civic engagement should be a central part of liberal education.
The Winter issue of Phi Beta Kappa's Key Reporter features an article (PDF) by John Churchill about the relationship between liberal and vocational education (starts on page 2).
in an article in LIBERALARTSONLINE, Jeffrey Nesteruk addresses what the liberal arts can offer professional programs in light of his department’s recently redesigned business program and suggests ways institutions can successfully integrate liberal arts and professional education.
An article in the Daily Pennsylvanian (February 3, 2005) discusses a new book that makes a case for the practicality of a liberal arts education.
The Atlantic Monthly (October 2004) features an article by Northeastern University President Richard Freeland arguing for a new integration of liberal and professional education. (Subscription required.)
Op-Eds and Editorials Making the Case for Liberal Education
President of Research Corporation for Science Advancement James M. Gentile wrote an op-ed about advancing scientific undergraduate research in the twenty-first-century. The author states, "Growing concern about America's continued leadership in science and innovation is well- documented, and now new research offers hope. It provides, for the first time, research-based evidence of the personal and professional value of undergraduate research. It makes clear that engaging undergraduates in scientific research pays dividends that were only previously recognized anecdotally. It provides a clear direction for science education at the college level."
President of California State University-Dominguez Hills and AAC&U board member Dr. Mildred Garcia wrote an op-ed about liberal education in the 21st century. Garcia states, "According to AAC&U, a liberal education is defined by a knowledge of human cultures and the natural world, intellectual and practical skills like creative thinking and problem solving, personal and social responsibilities for the larger world, and the ability to adapt skills and knowledge to new settings. True 21st century 'liberal learning' must blend the humanistic ideals of a traditional liberal education with the tangible skills required in today's careers. Combining both ideals will be the only thing that truly grooms students for the fast pace of change in the future."
Martha Nussbaum, LEAP National Leadership Council Member, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times entitled, "Go the Wrong Way." Nussbaum states, "This may be the one time in your life when you have a chance to think about the whole of your life, not just your job. Courses in the humanities, in particular, often seem impractical, but they are vital, because they stretch your imagination and challenge your mind to become more responsive, more critical, bigger."
Janet Morgan Riggs, president of Gettysburg College, wrote a powerful op-ed for The Patriot-News arguing for the value of a liberal arts education. In it, she notes that, " future leaders in education, science, law, business, medicine and public service will be those who will think clearly and creatively, challenge conventional thinking, understand the global context and feel a responsibility to use their education for their greater good. This is the essential value of the liberal arts."
Norm Cohen, executive director of the Coalition for Peace and Justice, wrote an op-ed about liberal education for the New Jersey newspaper Shore News Today. The author states, "Being that it is back to school time, I thought it would make sense to tell you how my liberal arts degrees in history helped me sell auto parts in our family business."
An op-ed in Forbes magazine written by AAC&U president Carol Geary Schneider includes research and opinions about the importance of a liberal education. The author states, "As focus groups and national surveys commissioned by AAC&U make plain, employers overwhelmingly want colleges to spend more time teaching students to analyze, how to integrate and how to apply their learning to new challenges and new settings. The 21st-century approach to liberal education–endorsed by hundreds of institutions through AAC&U’s LEAP initiative—prepares students to take advantage of economic opportunities and contribute successfully to a fast-changing workforce.”
Bill Spellman, director of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, wrote an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed entitled, "The Resilient Liberal Arts College." Spellman states, "The resiliency of the liberal arts college has been demonstrated across many generations, and with the addition of a growing public liberal arts sector to reaffirm the value of broad-based learning in a small campus setting, the future offers great promise. We should applaud, not criticize, liberal arts colleges that respond to the growing demand for skilled professionals in a variety of applied fields. These graduates will bring to their work the habits of critical inquiry and the integration of knowledge -- both liberal arts outcomes -- that serve to temper the narrow instrumentalism often found at the center of our professional lives."
Celia Carlson, an instructor of English at Mt. Hood Community College, wrote an op-ed in The Oregonian entitled, "What's a Liberal Education?" Carlson states, "A liberal education is rooted in the basic beliefs that all minds have potential, that education is essential to freedom, and that a free mind conveys knowledge to others.
A liberal education helps people respond to change because it teaches tolerance for ambiguity. It models good citizenship because it recognizes the claims of others to share in the products of the earth we all have in common."
In an essay in Inside Higher Ed, Drew University President Robert Weisbuch discusses the changes in academe in his lifetime. Weisbuch states, “By a renaissance in our time — in Weisbuch’s day -- I do not mean the recovery of classical learning and its inclusion in a Christian worldview that marked the original. I want to invoke instead the extreme interdisciplinarity of that time when the arts and sciences came so spectacularly into, if not unity, vital relationship, and when learning and worldliness ceased their contradiction."
Maureen Downey of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote an op-ed about the price and worth of a degree in the liberal arts. The author states, "This month, hundreds of commencement speakers will reassure graduates that their liberal arts degrees are worth the investment and will produce dividends that no financial ledger can measure, including the ability to think for themselves."
In a new issue of The Emory University Edge, Emory President James W. Wagner discusses the importance of liberal education for all students in the context of new funding opportunities presented in the federal stimulus package. Wagner states, “Our challenge, and our opportunity, is to infuse these liberal and humane values throughout the curriculum, in all disciplines and at all levels. While economic stimulus can give us deeply welcome new investments in our laboratories and in our financial aid programs, it cannot perform for us the hard work of academic community. Engaging and re-engaging across the gulfs of human difference – between student and professor, faculty and administration, campus and town, nation and world – remains the unavoidable, and irreplaceable, work of the academy.”
Sandy Smith, campus dean at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County in Wausau, wrote a guest column in the Wisconsin paper, The Wausau Daily Herald. In it, she discusses the benefits of higher education beyond job acquisition, and the role that the University of Wisconsin Marathon County plays in the region to provide a quality liberal education for all students. Smith cites the AAC&U survey of employers, pointing out, "For every essential learning outcome, the majority of employers wanted colleges to place more emphasis on them. In fact, 63 percent believe that too many recent college graduates do not have the skills they need to succeed in the global economy, skills that liberal education provides."
Peter Halpin, executive director of the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents, wrote a guest column in the Canadian paper, The Chronicle Herald (May 24, 2008). In it, he discusses the importance of the liberal arts in business, countering a statement made by Canadian businessman Robert Orr saying it's time to get rid of the "namby-pamby stuff" at universities. Halpin cites the 2007 LEAP survey of employers and recent graduates in his argument, pointing out, "After all, anyone who is interested in selling an interesting idea is a storyteller, a visionary and a philosopher of the marketplace...But if he couldn't dream the big dreams (the ultimate in namby-pambyism), Mr. Orr probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere in the global business world he inhabits."
President Burris notes in his Spring 2008 Beloit College Magazine column that the “hallmarks of a Beloit College education” were the very practices that employers endorsed in the 2008 LEAP survey. He notes their approval of “community-based projects, supervised internships, advanced senior projects, and essay tests” and their rejection of “multiple choice tests.”
The Wisconsin system used leap year and leap day to promote LEAP on their campuses. Donna Silver, assistant director in the office of professional and instructional development in the Wisconsin system, wrote "LEAP program vital to education in the state" in The Capital Times (February 28, 2008). Scott Furlong, dean of liberal arts and sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, wrote "LEAP promotes liberal arts education" in the Green Bay Press Gazette (February 29, 2008). John Koker, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at Oshkosh, wrote "Promoting a 'liberal' education, as in 'liberating' the mind…." in The Northwestern (March 4, 2008).
An opinion piece in the Denver Post (August 11, 2007) by Larry K. Meredith of Western State College cites College Learning for the New Global Century when asserting that "students need to hear from their future employers that narrow learning will limit, rather than expand, their opportunities."
"The Academics’ Lament and the Traditional Liberal Arts" (May 2007) by David C. Paris, senior fellow at AAC&U and professor of government at Hamilton College, posits that "it is important to look more closely at the academics’ lament about the liberal arts...specifically, what understanding of the liberal arts is threatened by more pragmatic views and contemporary pressures on higher education and how should proponents of the liberal arts, traditional and pragmatic, respond?"
An opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Star by James Gentile, a member of the LEAP National Leadership Council, highlights and advocates for the learning outcomes in the LEAP Report.
An opinion piece in Arizona State University's online newspaper (October 9, 2006) argues that "the pursuit of the liberal arts and humanities is absurdly practical and shockingly important."
An op-ed in the Hartford Courant (October 9, 2006) by Leo Higdon, president of Connecticut College, states that "a good liberal arts education is the best preparation for any career - in any job market."
An op-ed in the Washington Post (September 4, 2006) by Richard H. Brodhead, president of Duke University,
argues for more investment in liberal education as the best way to meet 21st century challenges.
John Churchill, secretary of Phi Beta Kappa, wrote an op-ed for the Seattle Times (August 20, 2006) linking the benefits and skills gained from a liberal education with the health of American democracy.
An editorial in Inside Higher Ed by W. Robert Connor, president of the Teagle Foundation, looks at "the other, untold story" of liberal education and its important global future.
An editorial in Cayman Net News (February 7, 2006) by Arni Arnthorsson, a professor at the University College Cayman Islands, states that the "lack of understanding about how the holistic, comprehensive view of education will enhance the individual has to change."
A letter from Michael Bassis, President of Westminster College, explores the important role liberal education plays at his own college and the impact it has in the world.
An editorial in the Star-Telegram (December 5, 2005) by Jake B. Schrum, President of Southwestern University, states that a liberal arts education can provide students with both emotional and financial riches.
An interview of a Colgate University alumna in The Colgate Maroon-News (November 4, 2005) highlights the importance of Liberal Arts in her diverse career history.
An editorial in the Modesto Bee (October 16, 2005) by Hamid Shirvani, President of California State University, cites reasons why colleges should be more demanding of their students, stating that "a liberally educated person should develop character and examine his or her values as part of the educational process."
An editorial by columnist Adele Horin in the Sydney Morning Herald (June 18, 2005) argues that "It is time for Australia to rediscover the value of a liberal-arts education." (Registration required.)
An editorial by Jeffrey Nesteruk in Inside Higher Ed (May 18, 2005) links his contentment in life to his liberal education, stating that his ability to think critically allowed him to separate himself from societal standards of happiness and focus instead on what really matters.
An editorial by columnist Tim Aylsworth in the Texas A&M Battalion argues that an emphasis on the liberal arts enriches undergraduate education and can improve a school's standing.
In an editorial originally published in the Community College Times, Western Nevada Community College President Carol A. Lucey argues that emphasis on vocationalism should not come at the expense of attention to liberal education outcomes.
In an editorial in the Journal of College and Character, Wesley College President Scott D. Miller discusses how higher education can best prepare graduates for an independent, successful life.
In an editorial for the Daily Collegian (March 25, 2005), student Mike Anmuth makes a case for the merits of general education requirements.
In a Seattle Times editorial, Thomas Cronin explains why "liberal-arts learning is so critically important for developing the brainpower we need for solving 21st-century challenges in every field ranging from international diplomacy to nanotechnology inventions" (April 25, 2004)
In an editorial on the Annapolis Group's Web site, Dale Marshall questions the usefulness of college rankings.
Speeches Making the Case for Liberal Education
Ben Schmidt, Student Commencement Speaker, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
The Examined Life
Mark Bradley, President, University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents
Liberal Education: A Unifying Mission for the 21st Century: Welcoming Remarks
Kevin P. Reilly, President, University of Wisconsin System
Liberal Education: A Unifying Mission for the 21st Century: Welcoming Remarks
MaryAnn Baenninger, President, College of Saint Benedict
Liberal Arts Education an Antidote to Polarization
Allen Berger, Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost, University of Maine Farmington
Liberal Arts Colleges and the Well-Prepared Teacher (pdf)
Robert Caret, President, San José State University
Commentary on National Public Radio
Workplace Demands Broad Set of Skills
Rebecca Chopp, President, Colgate University
Keynote Address (pdf)
College Student Values Conference, Florida State University
Charles Dorn, Assistant Professor of Education, Bowdoin College
From "Liberal Professions" to "Lucrative Professions": The Civic Functions of Higher Education in America
William Durden, President, Dickinson College
Liberal Arts for All, Not Just the Rich
The Liberal Arts as a Bulwark of Business Education
Reclaiming the Distinctiveness of American Higher Education (pdf)
Bobby Fong, President, Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana
Inauguration Speech (excerpted)
Great Expectations for College Achievement (with Carol Geary Schneider)
The State of the University (pdf, an address to faculty and staff)
Dr. Adam W. Herbert, President, of Indiana University
Extending the Reach of Knowledge: Inaugural Address, April 15, 2004
Leo I. Higdon, Jr., President, College of Charleston
Liberal Arts Education Suits These Changing Times
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Convocation Address, August 2002
Edward M. Hundert, President, Case Western Reserve University
Liberal Learning for the Twenty-First Century (PDF)
Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Empires of the Mind (PDF)
(With kind permission from ACE's The Presidency magazine.)
Roberts T. Jones, President of Education and Workforce Policy, and Barbara Lawton, Lt. Governor of Wisconsin
Meeting New Challenges at Home and Abroad: Liberal Education's New Premium (AAC&U podcast)
Barbara Lawton, Lt. Governor of Wisconsin
Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton’s Remarks to the UW Board of Regents
Theodore E. Long, President, Elizabethtown College
The Civic Renewal of Liberal Education
Carol Lucey, President, Western Nevada Community College
Higher Ed's Other Goals
David Maxwell, President, Drake University
The Drake Compact for the 21st Century
Robert A. Miller, President, Nazareth College
Narrowing the Liberal Arts Destroys Degrees' Value
Michael Mooney, Former President, Lewis & Clark College
The Value of the Liberal Arts
Gary Olson, Chair, Department of Political Science, Moravian College
Moravian College Commencement Address 2006
Stuart Rabinowitz, President, Hofstra University
Inaugural Address (excerpted)
Kevin P. Reilly, President, University of Wisconsin System
Keeping the Public in a Public University
Richard J. Scaldini, President, Hiram College
Ohio's Problem Isn't Braindrain; It's Myopia
Carol Geary Schneider, President, Association of American Colleges
and Universities
Liberal Education: A for Creativity; D- for Communication...
Liberal Education and America's Promise
Liberal Education: Employers' Views and Yours
Making Excellence Inclusive: Liberal Education and America's Promise
Robert A. Scott, President of Adelphi University
State of the University (pdf)
John Strassburger, President, Ursinus College
Who Owns Our Values? (pdf)
Daniel F. Sullivan, President, St. Lawrence University
What is Liberal Education? (August, 2005)
Opening Convocation Address (August, 2006)
Welcome and Remarks, Commencement (May, 2007)
Tim Sullivan, Vice President of Finance and Information Technology, Smiths Aerospace Components Fabrications - North America
Indiana State University LEAP Campus-Community Dialogue
Ronald R. Thomas, President, University of Puget Sound
Truth and Consequences: The Role of an Educated Person
Robert Weisbuch, President, Drew University
Inaugural Address -- April 28, 2006
Katherine Haley Will, President, Gettysburg College
The Liberal Arts in America and the Globe: This Old World Just Keeps Spinning Around
Elisabeth Zinser, President, Southern Oregon University
Our Place in the Sunlight: Oregon’s Contemporary Public Liberal Arts University
If you are a leader within the academy or outside it who has written an article or delivered a speech promoting the benefits of a practical and engaged liberal education or you have seen such a piece, please submit it for inclusion on this page to Debra Humphreys (humphreys@aacu.org).
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