Making the Case for Liberal Education
Workplace Demands Broad Set of Skills
Robert Caret
editorial published in the September 27, 2002 issue of
Silicon Valley Business Ink
As educators, business leaders and parents, what do we tell college-age students
who want a fast-track program to get a high-paying job when
we know a rich liberal education might be a better path to
a "bigger dream?"
Business and society are better served by the infusion of
new graduates who bring both the skills needed for the job
and the perspective of a liberal education to their work.
For the most part, these graduates are better prepared to
succeed in today's rapidly changing workplace. They can evolve
as the needs of the company continue to change.
Typically, these graduates bring a variety of critical skills
to the workplace: effective oral and written communication
skills, empathy for many points of view, the ability to solve
complex issues and the ability to work effectively with others.
A broad-based education provides a traditional foundation
for an understanding of our past, its links to our future
and the interconnectivity of the various disciplines. More
important, graduates are better prepared for socially valued
work and for civic leadership.
It is understandable that many students are focused on careers
and the skills needed to achieve their goals. However, it's
important to take the broader view that a liberal education
will achieve individual, business and societal goals.
National efforts
The growing demand for higher learning creates a new urgency
and responsibility to revitalize the education of undergraduates,
says the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
Earlier this year, San Jose State University joined 500 institutions
to support the AAC&U's Campaign for the Advancement of
Liberal Learning (CALL) to enhance general education requirements
and promote the benefits of a liberal education.
On Sept. 30, the organization will release a report, "Greater
Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to
College," which details the findings and recommendations
of a national panel. The report aims to promote the kind of
learning students need to meet emerging challenges in the
workplace, in a diverse democracy and an interconnected world.
Societal good vs. work force training
"Liberal education has always stood for the very best
kind of learning our society knows how to offer. We need to
reclaim that legacy and to insist that excellence in liberal
education is an equal opportunity commitment important to
every student and to every field of study," says AAC&U
president Carol Geary Schneider.
All colleges and universities can strive to educate students
in a liberal manner. In this sense, it's an approach to teaching
and learning, rather than a body of knowledge, specific courses
or type of institution.
There has been an historical tug of war between two goals
of education -- the societal good and work force training.
The shift towards the latter is rather recent, driven by the
widening of the door to education through efforts such as
the GI Bill, Land Grant Institution Act, etc. But it is important,
particularly in this information age, that we shift the equilibrium
back toward the original and most important goal of education
-- the good of society.
What you can do
As members of the business community, and as parents, it's
in your best interests to promote a broad-based education.
Whether it's holding résumés to a new standard,
encouraging professional development among your employees
or simply guiding your own children from their earliest years,
you can make a difference. That difference will not only benefit
the local community, but our interconnected national and global
communities as well.
Robert Caret is president of San José State University.
This editorial appeared in Silicon Valley Business Ink.
The Presidents' Campaign for the Advancement of Liberal
Learning is supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation
of New York. For more information contact Bethany Zecher Sutton
at 202-387-3760.
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