Liberal Education and America's Promise

Presidents' Trust Speeches, Articles, and News Coverage

Featured Op-Ed: Why a Liberal Arts Education is the Best Job Preparation

Washington and Lee University President and AAC&U Board Member Kenneth P. Ruscio wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor titled “Why a Liberal Arts Education is the Best Job Preparation.” (September 19, 2012). Ruscio notes that, “If ever there was a time when we should be emphasizing education – more than distributing information or training for specific jobs – if ever there was a time for the classic liberal arts, this is it. And I worry that in our enthusiasm to embrace new technologies, we will play too much to our students’ supposed strengths, ignoring the weaknesses they bring to us.” He continues, noting that “For me, a liberal arts college is one premised on learning together what we cannot learn alone. A liberal arts education provides perspective and raises the ‘why’ question along with the ‘what’ question. In a hierarchy that starts with information, then moves up the ladder to knowledge, and then even higher to wisdom, a liberal arts college aspires to be operating at the highest rung.”

Presidential Speeches and Articles

Kenneth P. Ruscio, President, Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University President and AAC&U Board Member Kenneth P. Ruscio wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor titled “Why a Liberal Arts Education is the Best Job Preparation.” (September 19, 2012). Ruscio notes that, “If ever there was a time when we should be emphasizing education – more than distributing information or training for specific jobs – if ever there was a time for the classic liberal arts, this is it. And I worry that in our enthusiasm to embrace new technologies, we will play too much to our students’ supposed strengths, ignoring the weaknesses they bring to us.” He continues, noting that “For me, a liberal arts college is one premised on learning together what we cannot learn alone. A liberal arts education provides perspective and raises the ‘why’ question along with the ‘what’ question. In a hierarchy that starts with information, then moves up the ladder to knowledge, and then even higher to wisdom, a liberal arts college aspires to be operating at the highest rung.”

Elsa Nunez, President, Eastern Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University President and AAC&U LEAP Presidents' Trust Member Elsa Nunez wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post titled, “A College Education: Never More Important!” (September 11, 2012), noting that, In a time of economic uncertainty, and with tuition costs climbing, it's tempting to try to convince ourselves that college isn't a necessary expense. However, the United States faces great challenges in the decades ahead, and I know of no challenge that is served by having less educated people work on it."

Richard Guarasci President, Wagner College
The Huffington Post features an op-ed written by Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College. The article is titled, “How Colleges Can Spark Economic and Community Development” (August 22, 2012). President Guarasci also wrote the op-ed, “The Crisis in Higher Education: How Civic Engagement Can Save Higher Education.” (June 27, 2012). Guarasci notes that “I believe that comprehensive and demanding civic engagement programs will help colleges and universities find new relevance, and communities regain economic footing and social rebirth in the midst of this crisis and a new kind of partnership is created between town and gown.” President Guarasci was a member of the national Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Task Force that prepared the influential national report, A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future. A Crucible Moment was released at a White House convening in January 2012 and called on the nation to reclaim higher education’s civic mission. AAC&U is coordinating a new Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Network of organizations working in a variety of sectors to advance this urgent national goal.

Brian Rosenberg, President, Macalester College
The Chronicle of Higher Education features an article written by Macalester Colege President Brian Rosenberg. The article is titled, "For Their Own Good" (July 26, 2012) President Rosenberg notes that "It is neither unusual nor surprising when those in possession of something of great value, like a college degree, suggest that others less fortunate would, 'for their own good,' be better off without that valuable possession. It is also condescending and, sometimes, destructive. We need more Americans, not fewer, to have easier and more affordable access to higher education. For our failures in this area higher education must bear some of the blame, as must public officials who have systematically disinvested in higher education over an extended period of time and those who are spreading the gospel of education for fewer."

Bobby Fong, President, Ursinus College
The Huffington Post features an article written by AAC&U Board Chair and Ursinus College President Bobby Fong. In the article, “Don't Miss the College Forest for the Career Trees” (July 25, 2012). President Fong notes that “The goal of a classical liberal arts education was to prepare students to live in a community as a suitably prepared responsible citizen. In our time, you will need to be citizens not only of a local community, state, or nation, but also citizens of the world. You will need to negotiate the intricacies of community-building with classmates, roommates, faculty, and staff, in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the residence hall, dining commons, labs, and clubs. You will likely find opportunities to practice cooperation, to engage in civil discourse, to disagree without being disagreeable, and to weigh the responsibilities of being a member of a community against the dictates of individual conscience.”

Kenneth P. Ruscio, President, Washington and Lee University
The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA recently printed a version of the commencement address titled "Admiration for the Teaching of Value, Character" delivered on May 24, 2012 by Kenneth Ruscio, President of Washington and Lee and member of the LEAP Presidents' Trust.  Ruscio notes that "there is a great deal of noise in the national discussion of higher education today, hand-wringing over the business model, concerns about student debt, the fascination with 'disruptive innovation,'” but, he reminds graduates that, "in the midst of all the confusion, we have forgotten what a college is for. We would do well to remind ourselves that education, especially a liberal arts education like the one you had here, is one of relationships, of learning together what you cannot learn alone. Washington and Lee is not in the business of dispensing information. We are in the business of educating students, creating knowledge and instilling within all of us, teachers and students alike, a capacity and thirst for wisdom."

Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
The Huffington Post featured an article written by Wesleyan University President Michael Roth. In the article, "Learning and Independence: Examples for the Fourth" (July 4, 2012), Roth notes that "Education as the direct pathway from slavery to freedom... Education as the awakening of creativity ..... We might say learning leads to independence. Happy 4th!"

John F. Schwaller, President, State University of New York at Potsdam
The Huffington Post featured an article written by SUNY at Potsdam President John F. Schwaller. In the article, "The Power of Improvisation: Students of the Arts" (July 5, 2012). Schwaller notes that "I am a great believer in the power of improvisation -- and I am not alone. Many employers specifically seek graduates with tremendous creative skills and the capacity to cope in an atmosphere of rapid change. That's why I believe that students in the arts will be laughing all the way to the bank, which -- who knows -- they just might own."

David Maxwell, President, Drake University
The Huffington Post featured an article co-written by Drake University Board Chair Larry D. Zimpleman and AAC&U Board member and Drake University President David Maxwell. In the article, “Higher Ed: Sticker Price, Potential Earnings Can Be Deceptive” (July 2, 2012), Maxwell and Zimpleman note that “Students are increasingly making critical life choices based primarily on money -- choices that ultimately may turn out to be the wrong ones in the long run. They are choosing an institution based on often uninformed assumptions about the cost of public institutions versus private; based on which school has offered them largest scholarship; based on assumptions about earning potential of a particular major.” They urge students to think more carefully about their choices of college and major and remember that, “College must not be just about jobs and money. College should be the place where young men and women figure out their aspirations for meaningful professional and personal lives, and set off -- with our support and guidance -- to make those aspirations come true. It is time that we committed ourselves as a nation to make that expectation of higher education.”

Michael Benson, President, Southern Utah University
The Huffington Post featured an article by Southern Utah University President Michael Benson. In the article, “The Irreplaceable Value of the Liberal Arts” (June 18, 2012), President Benson notes that, “Southern Utah University is our state's designated public liberal arts and sciences university, and Utah is one of eight states to be categorized as a LEAP state: Liberal Education and America's Promise. At its core, LEAP states and institutions are committed to producing graduates with the portable skills necessary to ensure success in today's global environment: knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world; intellectual and practical skills; personal and social responsibility; and integrative and applied learning… By valuing, enhancing, and promoting the path of liberal arts, we thus make our country a more vibrant and richer place. As opposed to being degrees to nowhere, the liberal arts truly provide a portal to anywhere.”

David P. Angel, President, Clark University
Clark University President David P. Angel begins blogging for The Huffington Post with the article, “Even in Bad Times, Colleges Can Make Education Pay Off” (May 15, 2012). In it, he notes that, “The transition from college to career is changing, and universities are responding in innovative and important ways. Employers are looking for proven capability on the part of college graduates they hire. The conundrum that college students face is how to build and demonstrate their 'value added' at the point of graduation, whether this is the ability to think critically about problems, work effectively as part of a team, or make informed decisions under conditions of uncertainty. At Clark University we have responded to this challenge with the launch of a new model of liberal education that we call Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP). This model affords students a wide variety of new opportunities to put their education to work in the world, develop the skills and capabilities that are crucial to success in the world of work, and build a sturdy bridge from college to career.”

Michael Roth, President. Wesleyan University
In a new blog posting on Huffington Post titled "Opportunity, Engagement, and Confidence: Cures for the Civic Recession" (January 11, 2012), Wesleyan President Michael Roth makes the point that “By embracing civic learning and partnerships that strengthen communities, we can do the hard work of restoring confidence in the future. That is a core responsibility of education.” He also describes how college students are engaged in service learning in the US and around the world—for instance, “creating free schools and clean water in Kenya [where] they are using their broadly based education to engage specific and important issues out in the world.” As Roth puts it, these civically engaged college students are “pragmatists steeped in liberal learning.”

Michael Roth, President. Wesleyan University
Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University, wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post titled, "Exercising 'A Degree of Freedom Which Rarely Exists' at UC Berkeley" (November 15, 2011). The author notes, "[UC Berkeley] Prof. Langan wrote that she was defending liberal education in Sproul Plaza -- that she was defending an idea of the university that is being dismantled by political and education leaders who support only the most narrow forms of instrumental training. Prof. Langan's idea of the university emphasizes the links between the practice of free thinking and the cultivation of freedom in the years after graduation. She is a teacher and a student of Thoreau, the author of Walden and of Civil Disobedience, who understood how our American emphasis on the bottom line can make us blind to the world before our eyes and to our possibilities for change. Thoreau wrote: 'We should seek to be fellow students with the pupil, and should learn of, as well as with him, if we would be most helpful to him. But I am not blind to the difficulties of the case; it supposes a degree of freedom which rarely exists.'"

Daniel Sullivan, President Emeritus, St. Lawrence University
Daniel Sullivan, Chair of the LEAP Presidents’ Trust and President Emeritus of St. Lawrence University, wrote an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed titled, “Worried? I’m Terrified” (October 31, 2011). Sullivan notes, “We are hearing today a literal cacophony of commentary from business leaders, economists, journalists, and even a growing number of higher education leaders that the education Americans need for the twenty-first century must stress inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, integrative and reflective thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information literacy, intercultural understanding, and teamwork and real-world problem-solving, as well as knowledge and competence in specific fields of learning. These are the skills and learning necessary for success in today’s occupational system…They are as essential for community college students as they are for students seeking four-year degrees.”

Brian Rosenberg, President, Macalester College
Brian Rosenberg, President of Macalester College, wrote an op-ed for the Huffington Post titled, "Connecting the Dots" (October 18, 2011). Rosenberg notes, "It may well be the case that the greatest need for expansion right now, given both our economic circumstances and our demographics, is in the area of vocational training. But if we do not support and preserve the segment of American higher education that provides instruction in the liberal arts, if we do not encourage at least some students from all backgrounds to receive an education that is more than narrowly vocational, we will be reducing the likelihood that we will continue to be global leaders in innovation and choosing to narrow our aspirations."

Helen Giles-Gee, President of Keene State College and AAC&U Board Chair
Helen Giles-Gee, AAC&U’s Board Chair and President of Keene State College, wrote an op-ed for the Concord Monitor titled, “In The Long Term, Cuts to Education Will Cost Us: They’re Already Being Felt at Keene State College” (September 25, 2011). Giles-Gee states, “A recent report by the Lumina Foundation says that college students will earn 85 percent more than their high school counterparts. Education, such as provided by Keene State College, gives employers what they need to be competitive, according to a survey by Hart Associates for the Association of American Colleges and Universities in 2009. We need workers with an array of skills and higher levels of learning and knowledge for a healthy economy and future.”

John J. Petillo, President, Sacred Heart University
John J. Petillo, President of Sacred Heart University wrote an op-ed for the Hartford Courant titled, "Liberal Arts Education: Gateway to Riches" (September 25, 2011), Petillo states, "A liberal arts education, perhaps more than anything else, sets the groundwork for intellectual leaps that can advance humankind by rendering the recipient endlessly curious and thoughtful. It raises our capacity to analyze, to see and solve problems, to invent and innovate beyond the realities of today and into the possibilities of tomorrow. As Albert Einstein said, 'The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.'"

Richard Guarasci, President, Wagner College
Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College and a member of the LEAP Presidents' Trust, wrote an opinion piece in the Albany Times Union, titled "Aid to college students benefits all of us" (September 7, 2011), Guarasci made a compelling case for continuing federal student aid in the form of Pell Grants to financially needy students and enumerated its many positive effects on the workforce and other aspects of American life.  He wrote that "the economic and social benefits of a post-secondary education are obvious...across the country.  The higher an individual's educational attainment, the less likely she or he is to consume tax revenues on welfare, Medicaid and law enforcement." He concluded by saying that "we need to understand that college financial assistance does much more than help students achieve their own dreams of a life better than the one their parents had.  Funding for student aid helps our communities, our states and our nation sustain and enhance their respective strengths."

Leo Higdon, President, Connecticut College
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President of Connecticut College wrote an op-ed for the Huffington Post titled, "College Should Be About Learning; ‘Earning Power’ Comes With Success In Any Major" (July 27, 2011). The author notes, “For most students, the best way to learn the broad skills every employer looks for in a job candidate is to get an education in the liberal arts. Not only will you be prepared with strong communication and analytical skills, you also will excel at solving problems and bringing seemingly unrelated thoughts and ideas together. The key to the liberal arts is your ability to learn, even learning to determine what you don't know but need to know. As the rate of change continues to advance, your ability to learn is critical to your professional success. A recent survey of employers conducted by Hart Research Associates for the Association of American Colleges and Universities found employers consider the essential learning outcomes of a liberal arts education to be what their companies need to be successful today.”

Elsa Núñez, President, Eastern Connecticut State University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President of Eastern Connecticut State University Elsa Núñez wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor titled, "Liberate Liberal Arts from the Myth of Irrelevance" (July 25, 2011). She notes that, "As AAC&U has noted, 'In an economy fueled by innovation, the capabilities developed through a liberal education have become America's most valuable economic asset.'" She strongly makes the case for the continuing relevance of liberal education especially in light of, “the economic and social transformation occurring in the United States [that] requires workers who are able to adapt to change and the complexities of the modern world. The broad academic competencies of a liberal arts education, tempered by preprofessional opportunities for students to apply their learning in real-world settings, can help create a workforce ready for the economic challenges of the twenty-first century and a citizenry ready to lead America forward."

Daniel F. Sullivan, President Emeritus, St. Lawrence University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President Emeritus of St. Lawrence University Daniel F. Sullivan wrote an op-ed for the Louisville Courier-Journal titled, "Don't Major in Business" (July 6, 2011) Sullivan notes, "A fast-accumulating body of evidence — including recent research discussed in the book Academically Adrift — indicates with great clarity that, for success in a business career, undergraduates should major in a liberal arts discipline, not business. American employers get this. In a 2010 report — Raising the Bar: Employers' Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn — employers make it clear that they want both knowledge and competence in specific fields and the intellectual and practical skills acquired in liberal education — inquiry and analysis; critical and creative thinking; integrative and reflective thinking; written and oral communication; quantitative literacy; information literacy; intercultural understanding; teamwork and problem solving — because these learning outcomes are the keys to success in any job, including the jobs that are even now being invented in our rapidly changing economy."

Brian Rosenberg, President, Macalester College
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and Macalester College President Brian Rosenberg wrote an op-ed for The Huffington Post titled, "Ignorant and Free" (June 14, 2011). Rosenberg notes, "Instead I would advance the radical notion that education has value upon which one cannot fix a monetary price -- that pursuing a college degree and owning shares of Pets.com are not more or less the same thing. Unless one believes that there is both an intrinsic value to becoming more broadly and deeply educated and a civic value to having an educated populace, Mr. Thiel is correct -- sort of. The higher education systems of Europe and Japan have a more narrowly vocational focus than does the system in the United States, yet there is no evidence that this has resulted over time in more robust economic growth. But presumably international economics is another of those subjects better skipped so that one can... get on with it."

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth wrote an op-ed for The Huffington Post titled, "America's Higher Education Resource" (June 1, 2011). Roth notes, " We in higher education need to be clearer about what we think students are learning during their four years in college. American higher education at its best provides multiple access points for different kinds of students who become more literate, more capable of acting as citizens, and more able to work with others while thinking for themselves. Universities must encourage free inquiry and cultivate the kind of risk-taking, work ethic and planning that are crucial to entrepreneurship (and scholarship, and civic engagement)."

Dr. Grant Cornwell, The College of Wooster
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President of The College of Wooster Dr. Grant Cornwell was interviewed for an article titled "Grant Cornwell Brings a Globalized Vision to The College of Wooster" (June 1, 2011) that appeared in the magazine, Smart Business Network. Cornwell notes, "My challenge was not to change the college’s mission but to make it more relevant and effective with the changing nature of knowledge and global society. 'I have spent a lot of time in my research and in my consulting helping tune liberal arts colleges for this era of globalization. … That’s what I’ve been doing for twenty years, and that’s what Wooster felt it really needed to do now,' Cornwell says."

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth makes a powerful case for liberal education in the CNN.com piece, "Why Liberal Arts Matter" (May 21, 2011). Roth counters the national trend toward narrowing of educational goals and suggests, instead, that "We should look at education not as a specific training program for a limited range of mental muscles but as a process through which one will generate some of the most important features in one's life."  Speaking directly to college students, he notes further that, "it makes no sense to train people as narrowly as possible in a world going through cataclysmic changes, for you are building specific strengths that leave you merely muscle-bound, not stronger and more flexible. We should have confidence, as my parents did, that a broadly based, liberal education will help our young people lead lives of creative productivity, lives in which they can make meaning from and contribute to the world around them."  See more about AAC&U's Presidents' Trust and how others are making the case effectively.

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth wrote an op-ed for The Chronicle of Higher Education titled, "How Colleges Can Ensure Quality, Not Inequality" (April 24, 2011). The author notes, "Our higher-education system is also functioning to re-inforce inequality, and this will increasingly be the case if we do not ensure that large public institutions provide well-rounded curricula rather than just tracking people to specific jobs at the lower end of the pay scale. In an age of seismic technological change and instantaneous information dissemination, it is more crucial than ever that we not abandon the humanistic foundations of education in favor of narrow, technical forms of teaching intended to give quick, utilitarian results. 'Certification' and 'completion' are no substitute for the practice of investigation, critique, and experience that enhances students' ability to appreciate and understand the world around them—and to innovatively respond to it. A broadly pragmatic liberal education, one that translates traditions of learning into contemporary contexts of inquiry, is our best hope of preparing all students to shape change and not just be victims of it."

John Bassett, President, Heritage University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President of Heritage University John Bassett wrote an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed titled, "An Alternative to Graduation Rates" (April 1, 2011). Bassett notes, "This is the time, however, to challenge all of us in higher education -- the presidential associations, those who oversee accreditation, and other higher education organizations -- to come together to propose an alternative to IPEDS, or at least a parallel system, that colleges and universities themselves find useful for management and that policy makers can trust. It must account for transfer patterns, for differential rates of progress among low-income populations, for developmental needs of students, and for the wide array of kinds of institutions in American higher education. It is complex but it is doable. It will give all of us a better system for measuring completion success rates."

Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President of Wesleyan University Michael Roth wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post titled, "Math and Science Study Alone Will Not Make Students More Competitive" (March 4, 2011). Roth notes, " I would hope that our leaders in government, industry and academia would realize that they don't have to make a choice between the sciences and the rest of the liberal arts. Indeed, the sciences are a vital part of the liberal arts. The key to our success in the future will be an integrative education that doesn't isolate the sciences from other parts of the curriculum, and that doesn't shield the so-called creative and interpretive fields from a vigorous understanding of the problems being addressed by scientists. For example, at liberal arts schools across the country there has been an increase in interest in the sciences from students who are also interested in history, political science, literature and the arts."

Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
In a new blog post in the Huffington Post titled "On Scholarship and Public Life" (February 23, 2011), LEAP Presidents’ Trust Member and President of Wesleyan University Michael Roth writes about scholarship, civic engagement, teaching, and learning. Roth makes the case for a healthy mix of more “engaged” scholarship and teaching, but also a commitment to a broader “culture of inquiry.” He endorses efforts, like the development of Wesleyan’s own interdisciplinary minor in civic engagement, that “connect what [students] study on campus to their lives as citizens and activists.” He also, however, notes the need for a continued commitment to basic research in the humanities and social sciences. These efforts, too, are essential to the vitality of liberal education and teaching undergraduates. As he puts it, “Connecting research and undergraduate learning, engaging students in the work of advancing the fields in which we teach, opening their minds to new possibilities in these subject areas and for themselves as independent thinkers, are some of the joys of working in higher education. This should be the heart of the ‘public life’ (small ‘p’, small ‘l’) of higher education.” See AAC&U President Carol Schneider’s recent blog post on the humanities and liberal education and learn more about the AAC&U/GPI initiative on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement.

Michael T. Benson, President, Southern Utah University
"Liberal Arts: Portal to Anywhere" by Michael T. Benson appeared February 8, 2011 in the Salt Lake Tribune. In this op-ed, Benson notes, "Utah is one of six states to be categorized as a LEAP state. At its core, LEAP states and institutions are committed to producing graduates with the portable skills necessary to ensure success in today’s uber-competitive global environment: knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world; intellectual and practical skills; personal and social responsibility; and integrative and applied learning. In sum, LEAP subscribes to the philosophy of the architect of the Great Books program at the University of Chicago, Robert Hutchins: 'The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives'.”

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University President and AAC&U Presidents' Trust member Michael Roth wrote, "In Defense of 'Learning How to Learn'" (October 16, 2010), in response to an article entitled, "The Death of the Liberal Arts Education" published by The Good Men Project magazine. Roth notes, "[Students] should develop the ability to continue learning so that they become agents of change—not victims of it. We must educate individuals broadly so they are capable of moving from one problem to another with confidence, capable of moving from one opportunity to another with courage. We must educate citizens broadly so that they understand the value of freedom and the virtue of compassion."

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University President and AAC&U LEAP Presidents’ Trust member Michael Roth makes the case for liberal education and its importance both for work and citizenship in The Huffington Post. Roth's piece is titled, "Labor Day and the Start of the Semester" (September 5, 2010). Roth notes, “The liberal education that our students begin on Labor Day doesn't promise a specific kind of job, but it does promise to expand one's possibilities for meaningful work after graduation. Learning to learn also means learning to work, to engage with others in getting things done, creating opportunities and solving problems.” He also notes that the value of liberal education “ has little to do with the specific choice of concentration by an undergraduate.” Liberal education, according to Roth, helps students “connect what one has learned with what one can do with the communities of which one is a part,” including work communities, but also civic communities. See more about LEAP and about its Presidents’ Trust.

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth discusses the good and the risky arguments about the pursuit of a liberal edcuation. Roth's piece is titled, "Good and Risky: The Promise of a Liberal Education" (July 11, 201). Roth notes, " I, too, am a strong advocate of the potentially positive social outcomes of a liberal education. I, too, believe that the liberal arts have pragmatic import, and that an education in the humanities, arts, and sciences is healthy for modern representative democracy because it creates citizens more capable of making thoughtful decisions about their representatives or about key issues. But we must also recognize that even though education may be salutary for a republic, it doesn't follow that all those who are educated will become defenders of the educator's policies. Cosmopolitanism can be stimulated through active learning, but so can nationalism; partisans of equality can mount their arguments more strongly because of their liberal education, but so can defenders of hierarchy. It is at best disingenuous (and probably counterproductive) to defend a liberal education because it will produce people whose opinions the defender finds congenial."

Dr. Rebecca Chopp, President, Swarthmore College
In her inaugural address titled "Hope in an Age of Clamor" (May 8, 2010), Rebecca Chopp, president of Swarthmore College, champions the value of a liberal arts education to “cultivate the imaginations of our students so that they might set the world anew as well as aright. The hope for the future depends upon our reimagining our traditional approaches and creating new solutions to the problems of the day.” She notes that, as liberal educators, “we must nourish and enjoy the arts to enrich cross-cultural understanding and to help us build common ground not only on campus but around the world.” See full text of Chopp’s inaugural address.

Dr. Charles Bantz, President, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Charles Bantz, wrote a newsletter, "Greetings from IUPUI" (February 2010) to the IUPUI community about the importance of liberal education and the campus’s commitment to providing such an education to all of its students. Citing data from AAC&U’s recent employer survey, Raising the Bar (pdf), and data from George Kuh’s work on High Impact Practices, Bantz notes the commitment IUPUI has made to such practices in helping their students become the “’360 degree people’ who have the technical skills and broader skills necessary for both the employee and the company to be successful.”

Dr. Richard Guarasci, President, Wagner College
Guarasci, R. 2006. On the Challenge of Becoming the Good College.
Liberal Education 92 (1): 14-21.

Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College
Padrón, E. 2008. Celebrating Outcomes and Cultivating Assessments: How the Largest College Found Common Ground. Liberal Education
94 (2): 30-35.

Dr. Carol Geary Schneider, President, AAC&U
An op-ed in Forbes magazine titled "In Defense of a Liberal Education" (August 10, 2009), and 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.”

Dr. Robert Weisbuch, President, Drew University
In an essay titled "Toward a 21st Century Renaissance -- in My Day" (May 5, 2009) 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."

Dr. Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
A blog posting in the Huffington Post, "Liberal Arts Education: From Clubbiness to Cosmpolitanism" (November 17, 2009) about how liberal education - particulary at Wesleyan University - has adapted to the cultural changes that have taken place in the 21st century and how it is provides the essential skills and outcomes to students of all backgrounds

Dr. David Maxwell, President, Drake University
In his "Drake University Undergraduate Commencement Address" (May 12, 2007), David Maxwell discusses the problem of civility and the public role of the university in addressing it.

More Speeches and Articles Making the Case for Liberal Education

Presidents' Trust News Coverage

LEAP Presidents' Trust Member and President of Eastern Connecticut State University Elsa Núñez was quoted in the article, "University Gives Students Place to Work 'Remotely (November 26, 2011)'. The article was published by the Journal Inquirer of Manchester in Manchester, CT. The author notes, "While Elsa Nuñez knows American businesses will continue to outsource jobs, she doesn’t see why those jobs necessarily have to go overseas. Why not send them to Willimantic? 'My goal is to get companies to outsource to me, not to India,' the Eastern Connecticut State University president said Thursday. Nuñez said that all Eastern students are required to have some kind of pre-professional experience before graduation, whether it’s through an internship, cooperative work experience, community service, or research. The goal is to provide a well-rounded education, she added, a 'liberal education that’s practically applied.’ 'Their employers can teach them skills, but they can’t teach them to write well and think critically,' Nuñez said."

David Oxtoby, president of Pomona College in California, was quoted in the Times Higher Education Supplement article "It's the Breadth That Matters (December 23, 2010)." Oxtoby states, ‘Narrow training that prepares you for one particular career just doesn't work anymore.’ But a liberal arts degree is also good for society, he believes. ‘The broader benefit is preparing educated citizens, people who will take an active part in society, who will be intelligent voters, who can read a newspaper, understand the issues and be part of an educated electorate.’ But Oxtoby, who is chairman of the board of AAC&U, believes that a liberal arts education ‘is for everyone.’ In the United States, he says, it is delivered by many different types of institutions. He gives the example of Miami Dade College, in Miami, Florida, one of the largest colleges in the country with more than 170,000 students, compared with just 1,500 students at his own college, Pomona. Despite its size, Miami Dade ‘really brings in a lot of the principles of liberal education, in terms of breadth of study, engaged learning, getting students moving outside of 'comfort' areas and engaged in research,’ says Oxtoby. ‘If you can do that there, I think you can do it just about anywhere.’"

Peter Katopes, interim president of La Guardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, wrote a letter to the editor (December 23, 2010) of the New York Times in response to the Times December 14 editorial, "College, Jobs, and Inequality." Katopes states, "As a community college president, I can plainly see the benefits that accrue when more citizens attend college. However, it is not merely 'more college' that is the answer, but rather what actually happens there that is important. If it is true that the 'jobs of the future' will be different from those of the present and that we need the 'best and the brightest minds' to confront future challenges, then what could we better offer our young people than to train their minds through the liberal arts?"

President of Goucher College, Sanford Ungar, wrote on op-ed titled "7 Major Misperceptions About the Liberal Arts" (February 28, 2010) in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the common misperceptions about liberal education and its value to our students and our communities. Summing up his argument, Ungar writes, "Through immersion in liberal arts, students learn not just to make a living, but also to live a life rich in values and character. They come to terms with complexity and diversity, and otherwise devise means to solve problems—rather than just complaining about them. They develop patterns that help them understand how to keep learning for the rest of their days."

Bill Graves, a reporter for The Oregonian, wrote an article titled "Employers Seek Well-Spoken, Problem-Solving Grads" (January 19, 2010) about the LEAP Public Forum co-sponsored by AAC&U, the Oregon Business Council, and the Oregon University System. Graves quotes AAC&U president Carol Geary Schneider, who states, "There is a convergence between what business leaders are asking for and what educators know they need to do," said Carol Geary Schneider, president of the AAC&U, in the keynote address. "They want more evidence students can apply their learning to real world problems."

Wendy Leonard, a reporter for The Salt Lake Deseret News, wrote an article
titled "Westminster President Joins National Liberal Arts Group" (December 14, 2009) about Westminster College President Michael Bassis' membership in the Presidents' Trust. AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider states, "As the nation is setting new goals for increasing college attainment, we need to focus like a laser beam on the kinds of learning that build both economic vitality and civic commitment. Members of the trust, including President Bassis, are helping to redirect the national dialogue to address these critical issues."

The Rockbridge Weekly staff in Virginia wrote an article titled "Washington and Lee University President Kenneth P. Ruscio Joins Presidents' Trust to Advance Liberal Education" about Washington and Lee University President Kenneth P. Ruscio's membership in the Presidents' Trust. AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider was quoted in this article. She states, “President Ruscio is already providing valuable leadership speaking out and ensuring that Washington and Lee students are receiving the kind of college education that will best prepare them for success in today’s competitive global economy — an engaged and practical liberal education.” This article was also published in the Lexington News-Gazette, (Lexington, VA).

Washington and Lee University announced via a press release titled "W&L President Kenneth P. Ruscio Joins Presidents' Trust to Advance Liberal Education" (December 3, 2009). Washington and Lee University President Kenneth P. Ruscio's membership in the Presidents' Trust. The press release quotes President Ruscio. "A liberal arts education emphasizes critical thinking and exposure to broad social, economic and political trends. This approach is more valuable than ever before as we help students make sense of the rapidly changing world around them," said Ruscio. "We are pleased to be supporting the Association of American Colleges and Universities in the new effort to promote the liberal arts and especially to integrate liberal arts and professional preparation, which has long been a hallmark of Washington and Lee."

Miami University of Ohio announced via a press release titled "President Hodge Names to Association of American Colleges and Universities Board" (February 17, 2010) about Miami University President David Hodge's membership in the Presidents' Trust. The author notes, "David Hodge has been active in the organization’s Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative. He joined the Presidents’ Trust in November 2009 as part of this plan to advocate for the values and practices that connect liberal education with individual and societal needs."

A staff writer for The Fairfield Mirror in Connecticut wrote an article titled, "Von Arx Joins Presidents' Trust" (December 2, 2009) announcing Fairfield University President Jeffrey Von Arx's membership in The Presidents' Trust. Von Arx states, "At Fairfield, we want to ensure that our graduates are ready to face the challenges of the twenty-first century with a rigorous mind, informed by compassion and rooted in self-awareness." This article was also published in the Fairfield Citizen News in Connecticut and in the Westport Minuteman (Westport, CT).

Chancellor Charles Bantz of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) membership in the Presidents' Trust was highlighted in the IUPUI press release, "IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz Joins New Presidents' Trust to Advance Liberal Education as Source of American Civic Vitality and Economic Innovation and Growth" (November 20, 2009). The press release quotes AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider. Schneider states, "Chancellor Bantz is already providing valuable leadership speaking out and ensuring that IUPUI students are receiving the kind of college education that will best prepare them for success in today’s competitive global economy—an engaged and practical liberal education.”

Swarthmore College President Rebecca Chopp was mentioned in a Swarthmore College article, "President Chopp Joins New Presidents' Trust to Advance Liberal Education as a Source of American Civic Vitality and Economic Innovation and Growth," (November 20, 2009) that highlighted her membership in AAC&U's new Presidents' Trust. The article's author Nancy Nicely notes that, "President Chopp and an esteemed group of 81 other college and university leaders from around the country are forming this Trust to collectively make the case for liberal education and its value in today's world. The Presidents' Trust is a leadership group within AAC&U's national LEAP initiative."

A staff writer for The Missoulian wrote an article, "Dennison Joins Presidents' Trust to Advocate for Liberal Education" (November 28, 2009), announcing University of Montana President George Dennison's membership in AAC&U's Presidents' Trust. The staff writer quotes Dennison from a press release. Dennison states, "Most of the criticism of higher education today, whether by members of academe, the business world or the broader community, argues straightforwardly that we fail to develop the competencies young people will need in the twenty-first century," Dennison said in a written release. "While we all know and respect the need to assure that our students graduate with a good grasp of the knowledge in their chosen fields, the evidence clearly indicates that we must help them develop the skills and insights a liberal education provides."

A staff writer for The Norwich Bulletin in Connecticut wrote an article "College President Joins Leaders Group," (November 28, 2009) about Eastern Connecticut State University President Elsa Nunez's membership in the new Presidents' Trust. The staff writer quoted President Nunez. Nunez states, "The Presidents' Trust reflects a new reality in our country - that a liberal education is no longer just for the elite and privileged." President Nunez's membership was also noted in Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine and the Chronicle (Wilmantec, CT).