Liberal Arts Education

“In the rush to specialize, liberal arts’ value abides”
Op-Ed in the Greesboro News & Record by Dean Johnston, March 13, 2011

Address to Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony at UNCG by Ed Kitchen, COO of the Weaver Foundation and former Greensboro City Manager, April 2013

For additional information on the liberal arts and sciences, visit the links below:

• “Liberal Arts Graduates and Employment: Setting the Record Straight” – A report from the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
• “The Tao of the Liberal Arts” — a Washington Post blog post emphasizing the core value of the liberal arts in a college education.
• “Arts & Sciences: Putting You in the Driver’s Seat.”  A recent blog post by Phi Beta Kappa Secretary John Churchill that explains the value of an arts and sciences education for graduates planning any professional career. Check out other posts on Churchill’s blog as well.
• “How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment.” A report from the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) with data on the value of a liberal arts degree for future earnings and career success. A free summary is available here. Copies of the full report may be ordered from AAC&U.
• Column on the value of a liberal arts education by the Executive-in-Residence at the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, UNC Charlotte; Forbes Magazine, Oct. 10, 2013.
• Richard Brodhead, President of Duke University, speaks with Stephen Colbert about the value of the humanities on The Colbert Report
• Sapere Aude – A Liberal Arts & Higher Education Blog
  A blog consisting of a series of essays exploring ideas spanning the current status and history of higher education in general and the liberal arts in particular.
• Washington Post op-ed: “Why major in humanities? Not just for a good job — for a good life,” August 2013
• “Employer Survey, 2013”
  Survey by Hart Research Associates on the skills that employers seek in university graduates.
• “Humanities plus”
  Website at Brigham Young University providing information on the value of humanities education to the world of work. A rich source of links.
• “The ‘Crisis in the Humanities’ Home Page”
  Includes links to many of the reports and articles published in the summer of 2013 on that topic.
• “Why English Majors are the Hot New Hires”
  Article on why businesses should hire English majors
• “No Frigate Like a Liberal Arts Education.”
  Blog post about a Commencement address at St. Mary’s College of Maryland by John Churchill, national sectratary of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society (April 2013).
• “Employers Want Broadly Educated College Grads, Capable Of Innovation”
  Article from The Huffington Post, April 2013
• “Wake Forest, Elon speak up for liberal arts education”
  Article from the Triad Business Journal, April 2013
• The LEAP Employer-Educator Compact
  A statement from educational and business leaders about the importance of a liberal arts education in today’s economy. American Association of Colleges & Universities, April 2013
• “The Heart of the Matter: The Humanities and Social Sciences for a Vibrant, Competitive, and Secure Nation.”
  Summary of a report from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, June 2013
• “The Teaching of the Arts & Humanities at Harvard College: Mapping the Future”
  A report from the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Harvard, May 2013