Perspectives on the Value of Liberal Education
in the Twenty-first Century
A Regular Series of Articles Published in Liberal
Education
About This Series
On the occasion of its ninetieth anniversary in 2005, the
Association of American Colleges and Universities launched Liberal Education and America’s
Promise: Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College (LEAP), a national campaign to champion the value
of a liberal education.
In coordination with the LEAP campaign, and in an effort
to encourage public dialogue and debate about what really
matters in college, this series of articles in AAC&U's Liberal Education presents a broad array of perspectives
on the value of liberal education.
For additional information about the LEAP campaign and how
to get involved, see www.aacu.org/advocacy.
Articles in the Series
"What
Really Matters in College: How Students View and Value Liberal
Education" (Liberal Education, Summer/Fall
2005)
By Debra Humphreys and Abigail Davenport
The findings from a series of focus groups, held with high
school and college students in four locations in different
regions of the country, reveal student attitudes toward
liberal education, including the goal of developing values,
ethics, and civic responsibility in college.
"Liberal Education for the Twenty-first Century: Business
Expectations" (Liberal Education, Spring
2005)
By Roberts T. Jones
A liberal education is the foundation for success in every
growing occupation. Employers do not want, and have not
advocated for, students prepared for narrow workforce specialties.
But is the traditional framework of liberal education calibrated
to the demands of the changing world?
"Liberal Education and the Specialist-Rich Workplace" (Liberal Education, Winter 2006)
By Lee Dudka
Most debates on the future of American higher education, and liberal education’s role in it, broach the notion that “education is at a crossroads.” What attracts me, a business consultant working alongside your graduates, is a related puzzle: how do we make liberal learning’s graduates more competitive in today’s workplace?
"Teachable Moments: Advising as Liberal Learning" (Liberal Education, Spring 2006)
By Ned Scott Laff
Many faculty members generally assume that their students understand the purposes of college learning and that they are aware of the assumptions about liberal education embedded in the program configurations designed to advance it. We implicitly believe and sincerely hope that, by following the steps we lay out, our students will develop the habits of heart and mind that characterize the outcomes of a liberal education.
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