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In Defense of Liberal Arts Education
Jill Tiefenthaler, The Denver Post, October 24, 2011
Florida Gov. Rick Scott became infamous in the higher ed world when, in a series of interviews, he publically questioned the value of liberal arts degrees such as anthropology and announced his desire to direct state spending toward only those degrees that lead directly to jobs, particularly those in STEM fields. Scott’s attitude toward the liberal arts is common among lawmakers, but his thinking is based on flawed assumptions, says Jill Tiefenthaler, president of Colorado College. First, Scott confuses education with training. “While getting a job that leads to a fulfilling career is a great reason for going to college, it certainly isn’t the only one,” Tiefenthaler says. “A liberal arts education … educates the whole person and prepares students to excel in a range of careers and, even more importantly, live a life rich with meaning and purpose.”
Furthermore, the skills developed by a liberal arts education—critical thinking, written and oral communication, the ability to sort and analyze vast amounts of information, to name just a few—are essential twenty-first-century skills. “Many of our students will be holding jobs in ten years that don’t exist now,” Tiefenthaler says. “For that reason our colleges must continue to prepare young people to think with rigor and creativity.” AAC&U’s survey of employers and business leaders corroborates this point—more than 80 percent of business leaders polled believe colleges should place greater emphasis on “critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills” and “the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing.” Tiefenthaler offers as further evidence the success of some of Colorado College’s notable graduates, including a social justice lawyer, two documentary film makers, and a senior business executive—all of whom majored in liberal arts subjects.
Still, if Scott is set on turning Florida into a STEM-only state, Tiefenthaler has a suggestion for what he can do with all those anthropology majors: send them to Colorado. “I expect that Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a liberal arts graduate with a major in English, will join me in welcoming these critical thinkers and nimble minds to Colorado.”
Read the full piece at The Denver Post.
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