CARLY ANNE RAVNIKAR2012

The Importance of a Liberal Arts Education

Overview

Answer the Question: Why is a liberal arts education important to undergraduate

students?

Evidence of effectiveness in achieving outcomes

Significance of those outcomes to the undergraduate student

The “true value” of liberal arts

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is committed to:

Offering high-quality academic programs rooted in the tradition of a liberal education in the arts, sciences and professions, responsive to the occupational, civic and cultural needs of the region

What is a Liberal Arts Education?

A liberal arts education emphasizes “practical skills, regardless of field of study or intended career”

This includes (but is not limited to):

“moral reasoning […] and problem solving”

“inclination to inquire and lifelong learning”

“intercultural effectiveness”

“leadership”

(Seifert et al, 2008, p. 108, 121)

Even More …

Effective communication

Critical thinking

Ethic and civic responsibility

Quantitative literacy

(Anderson, 2012, p. 3)

How Do We Know That?

There is “empirical evidence for the benefits of liberal arts education.”

Evidence! … mrph

(Seifert et al, 2008, p. 122-123)

Who cares, dude?

Employability

What do Employers Want In an Employee?

Association of American Colleges and Universities study revealed:

89% “wanted more emphasis on ‘the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing”

81% wanted “critical thinking sand analytical reasoning skills”

70% wanted “the ability to innovate and be creative”

(Zernike, 2009, p. 2)

What do Employers Want In an Employee?

“Employers say all the time that they value

clarity of writing and verbal expression, and

that they often find liberal-arts graduates

expert in both.”

(Meacham, 2010, p. 2)

Can You Guess What They Have In Common?

Liberal arts education prepares students “to take on responsibilities of leadership.”

(Weight, 2010, p. 5)

Liberal Arts Develops Leadership

“Leadership programs for students, when

combined with curricula that focus upon

leadership […] and coupled with extracurricular

programs that engage students with their

communities, can produce liberally educated

social entrepreneurs who are committed to

addressing social problems through innovative

solutions that are empowering and produce

value-added outcomes.”

(Hines, 2005, p. 6)

Liberal Arts Equates Management Potential

Liberal arts develops “skills that corporate American now clamors for in college graduates” and

“these skills are tools for intellectuals and the managerial class.”

(Anderson, 2012, p. 3)

But …

… That’s not what makes liberal arts important …

The True Value

It’s More

It’s more than “merely vocational training” (Colletta, 2010, p. 1).

It’s more than “getting books from the library, making copies of articles, and proofreading documents” (Weight, 2010, p. 9).

It’s More

“These are attributes that construct citizens, not merely workers.”

“The liberal arts are not valuable because they are useful politically or vocationally. They are valuable because they are what constitute real knowledge.”

(Colletta, 2010, p. 2, 4)

Expect More

This student “values education for its own sake” (Weight, 2010, p. 4).

The “ideal-liberally educated student of the twenty-first

century is a lifelong learner who is open-minded,

tolerant, intellectually curious, courageous, self-

actualizing” (Hines, 2005, p. 4).

The Importance Revealed

A liberal arts education prepares

“people for a good life,

not just the good life.”

(Meacham, 2010, p. 2)

Go Fill Your Toolbox!

“The truth is …

students think too much about majors …

… but the major isn’t nearly as important as the toolbox of skills you come out with and the experiences you have.”

(Zernike, 2009, p. 3)

References

Anderson, J. M. (2012). Why Community-College Students Need Great Books. Chronicle Of Higher Education, 58(29), A68. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Colletta, L. (2010). The Ultimate Utility of Nonutility. Academe, 96(5), 28-31. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hines Jr., S. M. (2005). The Practical Side of Liberal Education: An Overview of Liberal Education and Entrepreneurship. Peer Review, 7(3), 4-7. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Meacham, J. (2010). IN DEFENSE OF THE LIBERAL ARTS. Newsweek, 155(3), 5. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Seifert, T., Goodman, K., Lindsay, N., Jorgensen, J., Wolniak, G., Pascarella, E., & Blaich, C. (2008). The Effects of Liberal Arts Experiences on Liberal Arts Outcomes. Research In Higher Education, 49(2), 107-125. doi:10.1007/s11162-007-9070-7. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Weight, G. (2010). The Integrity and Integrality of Student Research at a Liberal Arts College. Peer Review, 12(2), 9-12. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Zernike, K. (2009). Making College ‘Relevant.’ New York Times. Retrieved from NYTimes.Com.