Liberal Education News Watch

Featured Op-Ed: Ignorance about Education

AAC&U LEAP Presidents' Trust member and President of Macalester College Brian Rosenberg wrote a blog post titled, "Ignorance About Education," appearing in the Huffington Post (January 31, 2013). President Rosenberg challenges the assertions made recently by NC Governor Patrick McCrory in which he attacks liberal arts fields, noting that, “it is also more true than ever before that students with a post-secondary education, regardless of major, will on average face lower levels of unemployment and achieve higher levels of income than those without a college degree; that many more graduates will change careers than will remain in the particular career for which their major initially prepared them; that many employers place the highest premium on skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to work cooperatively, in which a liberal arts education has been shown to provide especially good training; and that public investment in education, at all levels, has a better ROI than virtually any other investment a state or a nation can make."

News Articles and Op-Eds on Liberal Education

Higher Education Should Be More Than Vocational Training
The News-Gazette (Central Illinois)
May 5, 2013

Op-Ed: Alvernia University President Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D., Weighs in on the College Scorecard
ReadMedia (Via Alvernia University, Reading, PA).
April 23, 2013

Why We Need the Liberal Arts
By: David Paris, Vice President for Integrative Learning and the Global Commons
The Hechinger Report
April 17, 2013

Ronald Crutcher/Sandra Ohrn Moose: Students Should Beware Job-Trend Reports
The Providence Journal's New England Blog
April 16, 2013

Opinion: Why STEM Should Care About the Humanities
Chronicle of Higher Education
April 15, 2013

A Liberal, and Liberating, Education
By: Christopher Nelson, President, St. John's College
The Hechinger Report
April 15, 2013

Editorial Advisory Board: At Governors State University, We Take Civic Engagement to Heart
By: Elaine Maimon, President, Governors State University
Northwest Indiana Times, (Munster, IN)
April 14, 2013

What Do Business Leaders Want?
Blog post by W. Robert Connor, PhD. A retired professor of classics and former president and director of the National Humanities Center in North Carolina, Dr. Connor also served as President of the Teagle Foundation from 2003 to 2009. April 10, 2013

Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success
Smart Higher Ed (Blog)
April 10, 2013

Essay: How the Public Humanities Reshaped a Dean's Thinking About Academic Humanities
Inside Higher Ed
April 5, 2013

Diverse Liberal Education Classes Lacking
Minnesota Daily
April 4, 2013

Liberal Arts Colleges Create Better Prepared Graduates
Catholic Education Daily
April 3, 2013

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Rationale for General Education at George Mason University
George Mason University-General Education Archived Catalog
March, 2013

College is More Than a 'Return on Investment'
Washington Post
March 14, 2013

Who Needs Philosophy? Colleges Defend the Humanities Despite High Costs, Dim Job Prospects
Time Magazine and the Hechinger Report
March 7, 2013

Making a Liberal Arts Education Pay
Washington Monthly
March 6, 2013

The Value of Humanities: A Roundtable of Links
American Historical Association: AHA Today
February 26, 2013

Numbers Don't Lie--A Cost/Value Analysis of a Liberal Arts Degree
Huffington Post
February 26, 2013

Michael Roth: Essay on Giving a Lecture on Liberal Education at Peking University
Inside Higher Ed
February 26, 2013

The Case for Liberal Arts
By: Carol Quillen, President, Davidson College
Charlotte Business Journal, (NC)
February 22, 2013

Stuart Rabinowitz: A Liberal Arts Education is Still Relevant
Newsday
February 8, 2013

The Value of Humanities
American Historical Association's Perspectives on History
January 2013

Ignorance About Education
Huffington Post
January 31, 2013

Civic Learning and Engagement
Change Magazine
January/February 2013

My Liberal Arts Degrees
Inside Higher Ed
January 30, 2013

The Education of Corporate America
Huffington Post
January 29, 2013

Students are Fleeing the Liberal Arts - How It Could Hurt the U.S.
The Fiscal Times
January 9, 2013

Editorial: Slapping the liberal arts won't boost job market
Tampa Tribune
January 6, 2013

The Shrinking Humanities
By: W. Robert Connor, Senior Advisor at the Teagle Foundation
Inside Higher Ed
January 4, 2013

Engineering Education in a Not-Too-Distant Day
By: David Goldberg, President and Founder of Big Beacon
Huffington Post
January 3, 2013

Education for Humility
By: Sandra Greer, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Mills College
Huffington Post
December 17, 2012

In Ignorance We Trust
By: Timothy Egan
New York Times
December 14, 2012

Synthesizing Science and the Liberal Arts
By: William H. Weitzer, a Senior Fellow at the Spencer Foundation
Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Mash Up Blog
December 13, 2012

College Still Matters: Higher Education Remains Crucial to Advancement in the New Economy, and a Broad Course of Study Holds the Key
By: Carol Geary Schneider, President, AAC&U
Baltimore Sun
December 9, 2012

Accountability Expert Takes New Job to Defend Liberal Education
By: Dan Berrett
Chronicle of Higher Education
November 29, 2012

A Useful Liberal Arts
By: William G. Duden
Inside Higher Ed
November 26, 2012

MOOC Skepticism Persists Among University Presidents, Despite Rapid Growth Of Online Courses In 2012
By: Tyler Kingkade
Huffington Post
November 26, 2012

General Education Courses Open New Horizons
By: Elaine Maimon, President, Governors State University
Northwest Indiana Times, (Munster, IN)
November 25, 2012

Assessing the Future of Higher Education
By: John Petillo, President, Sacred Heart University
Huffington Post
November 19, 2012

Liberal Arts Colleges Rethink Their Messaging in the Face of Criticism
By: Kevin Kiley
Inside Higher Ed
November 19, 2012

The Liberal Arts: Not Just for the Unemployable Anymore
By: Jim Salvucci
Baltimore Sun
November 17, 2012

Get Smart! Cultivate Interdependence!
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
November 15, 2012

Needed: A Curriculum for Courage
By: Tori Haring-Smith, President, Washington & Jefferson College
Inside Higher Ed
November 14, 2012

What is the Value of Liberal Education?
By: Teagle Foundation President Richard Morrill
Huffington Post
November 6, 2012

Democracy's Miracle
By: Michaell Benson, President, Southern Utah University
Huffington Post
November 6, 2012

From Commencement to Campaign: Where is the Call to Service?
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
November 2, 2012

President Chopp Lays Out Challenges for Future of Liberal Arts
By: Rebecca Chopp, President, Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College Daily Gazette
October 31, 2012

The Narrowing of the American Mind
By: Carol Geary Schneider, President, AAC&U
Chronicle of Higher Education
October 22, 2012

Letter to the Editor: The Liberal Arts Teach Us How to Live
By: Joseph Woitko
Standard-Speaker, (Hazelton, PA)
October 22, 2012

A Truly Liberal Education: An Education Should Not Merely Be Measured in Jobs and Salaries
By: Tim Thornton
University of Virginia Cavalier Daily, (Charlottesville, VA)
October 21, 2012

Scrap Liberal Arts? Think Again
By: Tom Farer, University Professor at the University of Denver
Denver Post, (Denver, CO)
October 21, 2012

Lessons from Swiss Watch-Makers
By: Robert J. Sternberg, provost, senior vice president, Regents Professor of Psychology and Education, and Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Ethical Leadership at Oklahoma State University, and the treasurer of the AAC&U Board of Directors
Inside Higher Ed
October 10, 2012

Restoring the Civic Mission of Higher Education
By: Dr. Richard Guarasci, President, Wagner College
Huffington Post
October 9, 2012

Are Vocational Education, Liberal Arts on a Collision Course?
By: Dr. Victor E. Ferrall, Jr., president emeritus of Beloit College
Pacific Standard Magazine
October 3, 2012

Northern Marianas College (NMC) Urged to Focus on Short-Term Courses, Strong Liberal Arts Program
By: Moneth Deposa
Saipan Tribune
October 3, 2012

Subsidize Civic, But Not Vocational Training
By: Duston Moore, general education director and an associate professor of philosophy at IPFW, and Abraham Schwab, assistant professor of philosophy at IPFW.
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, (Fort Wayne, IN)
September 28, 2012

Helping Students Find Their Place in the World
By: Danielle Allen, the UPS Foundation professor of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
Washington Post
September 23, 2012

Why a Liberal Arts Education is the Best Job Preparation
By: Kenneth P. Ruscio, President, Washington and Lee University
Christian Science Monitor
September 19, 2012

A College Education: Never More Important!
By: Elsa Nunez, President, Eastern Connecticut State University
Huffington Post
September 11, 2012

Learning as Freedom
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
New York Times
September 6, 2012

How Colleges Can Spark Economic and Community Development
By: Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College
Huffington Post
August 22, 2012

Too May College Students? Hardly
By: Brian Rosenberg, President, Macalester College
Chronicle of Higher Education
July 26, 2012

Don't Miss the College Forest for the Career Trees
By: AAC&U Board Chair and Ursinus College President Bobby Fong
Huffington Post
July 25, 2012

The Power of Improvisation: Students of the Arts
By: SUNY at Potsdam President John F. Schwaller
Huffington Post
July 5, 2012

Higher Ed: Sticker Price, Potential Earnings Can Be Deceptive
By: Drake University Board Chair Larry D. Zimpleman and AAC&U Board member and Drake University President David Maxwell
Huffington Post
July 2, 2012

The Irreplaceable Value of the Liberal Arts
By: Southern Utah University President Michael Benson
Huffington Post
June 18, 2012

Toward Curriculum Clarity and Career Connection in Higher Education
By: Dr. Kevin Manning, President, Stevenson University
Huffington Post
June 6, 2012

Even in Bad Times, Colleges Can Make Education Pay Off
By: David P. Angel, President, Clark University
Huffington Post
May 15, 2012

The Winner: A Liberal Education
By: Sean Decatur, a member of the AAC&U board of directors and dean of the arts and sciences and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Oberlin College
New York Times Room for Debate blog
May 4, 2012

Six Tips for Liberal Arts Colleges to Produce Employable Grads
By: Andy Chan, vice president of the Wake Forest University Office of Personal and Career Development, and Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics and dean of Wake Forest College
Washington Post.com
April 1, 2012

College at Risk
By: Andrew Delbanco, professor of humanities and director of American studies at Columbia University
Chronicle of Higher Education
February 26, 2012

Education is No Zero-Sum Game
By: Peter Meyer, senior visiting fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Education Next
February 24, 2012

Don't Blame Liberal Arts Majors for High Unemployment
By: Houston Attorney and Political Writer Mark Yzaguirr
Huffington Post
January 31, 2012

Opportunity, Engagement, and Confidence: Cures for the Civic Recession
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
January 11, 2012

Funding Students, Threatening Liberal Education
By: Johann Neem, associate professor of history at Western Washington University
Inside Higher Ed
December 20, 2011

Advancing the Liberal Arts in and Beyond the Classroom
By: Robert Eisinger, dean of the school of liberal arts at SCAD
Huffington Post
December 19, 2011

A Liberal Education: Preparation for Career Success
By: Former Procter & Gamble Chairman and CEO A.G. Lafley
Huffington Post
December 6, 2011

University Gives Students Place to Work 'Remotely
By: Marcus Hatfield
Journal Inquirer of Manchester (Manchester, CT)
November 26, 2011

Exercising 'A Degree of Freedom Which Rarely Exists' at UC Berkeley
By: Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
November 15, 2011

Worried? I’m Terrified
By: Daniel Sullivan, Chair of the LEAP Presidents’ Trust and President Emeritus of St. Lawrence University
Inside Higher Ed
October 31, 2011

America Needs Broadly Educated Citizens, Even Anthropologists
By: Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University
Slate.com
October 21, 2011

Connecting the Dots
By: Brian Rosenberg, President of Macalester College
Huffington Post
October 18, 2011

Liberal Arts Education: Gateway to Riches
By: John J. Petillo, President of Sacred Heart University
Hartford Courant
September 25, 2011

Aid to College Students Benefits All of Us
By: Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College
Albany Times Union
September 7, 2011

Subversive Professors
By: Phyllis Safman, assistant commissioner for academic affairs, Utah System of Higher Education, and an adjunct professor in the College of Education, University of Utah, and Norm Jones, chair of the Regents’ Task Force on General Education, professor and Chair of History and director of General Education at Utah State University
The Salt Lake Tribune
August 26, 2011

Time to Tackle Double Standards in Education
By: Peter Scott, professor of higher education studies at the Institute of Education in the United Kingdom and a former editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement
The Guardian
August 1, 2011

College Should Be About Learning; ‘Earning Power’ Comes With Success In Any Major
By: Leo Higdon, President, Connecticut College
Huffington Post
July 27, 2011

Liberate Liberal Arts from the Myth of Irrelevance
By: Elsa Núñez, President, Eastern Connecticut State University
Christian Science Monitor
July 25, 2011

Don't Major in Business
By; Daniel F. Sullivan, President Emeritus of St. Lawrence University
Louisville Courier-Journal
July 6, 2011

Ignorant and Free
By: Brian Rosenberg, Macalester College President
Huffington Post
June 14, 2011

Grant Cornwell Brings a Globalized Vision to The College of Wooster
By: Dr. Grant Cornwell, President of The College of Wooster
Smart Business Network
June 1, 2011

America's Higher Education Resource
By: Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
June 1, 2011

Why Liberal Arts Matter
By: Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
CNN.com
May 21, 2011

Relax, English Majors: Liberal Arts Graduates Are Perfectly Prepared for Today's Careers
By: Jay Lemons, president of Susquehanna University
Philadelphia Inquirer
May 16, 2011

Degrees for What Jobs?' Wrong Question, Wrong Answers
By: Carol Geary Schneider, President, AAC&U
Chronicle of Higher Education
May 1, 2011

The Liberal Arts Advantage
By: Gary Susswein of the University of Texas Office of Public Affairs
April 25, 2011

How Colleges Can Ensure Quality, Not Inequality
By: Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Chronicle of Higher Education
April 24, 2011

Liberal Arts, Science Degrees are Valuable
By: Johann Neem, associate professor of history at Western Washington University
The Western Front
April 19, 2011

An Alternative to Graduation Rates
By: John Bassett, President, Heritage University
Inside Higher Ed
April 1, 2011

Math and Science Study Alone Will Not Make Students More Competitive
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
March 4, 2011

On Scholarship and Public Life
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
February 23, 2011

Liberal Arts: Portal to Anywhere
By: Michael T. Benson, President, Southern Utah University
Salt Lake Tribune
February 8, 2011

Global Education Challenges and Opportunities: Students Are Not Isolated from World Events
By: James M. Dennis
University Business
February 2011

Philosophy Valued at One Community College
By: Margot Adler
NPR’s All Things Considered
January 4, 2011

It's the Breadth That Matters
By: Rebecca Attwood
Times Higher Education Supplement
December 23, 2010

Letter to the Editor: The Relationship Between Colleges and Jobs
By: Peter Katopes, interim president of La Guardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens
New York Times
December 21, 2010

In Defense of 'Learning How to Learn'
By: Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
The Good Men Project magazine
October 16, 2010

Labor Day and the Start of the Semester
By: Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Huffington Post
September 5, 2010

Good and Risky: The Promise of a Liberal Education
By: Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University
Chronicle of Higher Education
July 11, 2010

A Liberal Education is Essential in Helping the U.S. Remain a Beacon of Democracy
By: Paul R. Shelly, director of communications and marketing for the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities
New Jersey Newsroom
August 5, 2010

Hope in an Age of Clamor
By: Rebecca Chopp, President, Swarthmore College
May 8, 2010

The Economic Imperative of Achieving Diversity
By: Michelle Asha Cooper and Arthur L. Coleman
Forbes.com
April 27, 2010

What Should You Get From a College Education?
By: Steven Budd, President, River Valley Community College
Eagle Times (Claremont, NH)
March 8, 2010

Science Education: The Value of Undergraduate Research
By: President of Research Corporation for Science Advancement James M. Gentile
Huffington Post
March 8, 2010

President Hodge Names to Association of American Colleges and Universities Board
By: Miami University of Ohio
February 17, 2010

7 Major Misperceptions About the Liberal Arts
By: Sanford Ungar, President, Goucher College
Chronicle of Higher Education
February 28, 2010

Greetings from IUPUI
By: Chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Charles Bantz
IUPUI Newsletter
February 2010

Employers Seek Well-Spoken, Problem-Solving Grads
By: Bill Graves
The Oregonian
January 19, 2010

Washington & Jefferson College's Small Class Sizes Helped Shape Richard Clark's Work Ethic
Pittsburgh Business Times
June 24, 2008

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).