There has been a lot of debate whether or not universities need to continue providing students with a liberal arts education. I believe that if a university does not provide it’s students with this type of education than they have failed their students. A liberal arts education is absolutely needed, and therefore, I believe should be defended and preserved.
Many authorities in the academic would argue that a liberal arts education isn’t as necessary as job training and classes that pertain strictly to a field of work, which I find an erroneous way of thinking.
An economics and management professor at Albion College in Michgan once said “I believe if we continue to go down the path of being too specialized, we provide students with a very narrow educational experience that is likely to be obsolete in five years or less.”
Which I think accurately defends the need for a liberal arts education.
The fact is, the current economic standing of our nation leaves job placements unpredictable. Current unemployment rates in the Midwest alone are higher than they have been in decades and have been on the current rise since 2005. If we train students in just one aspect of a career, they lack the resources necessary to further their education in other areas which may help them find a career in a more stable job field of work. A liberal arts education makes it easier for students to further their education post-graduation and possibly expose them to something they are more passionate about. Without a liberal arts education, they might never know about this passion.
A liberal arts education, in fact, helps students more than specialized job training or major concentration. It explores new ways of thinking and provides students with skills and knowledge that puts them at a competitive edge.
For example: a student studying astrophysics and hoping to acquire a job in a related field may spend hours upon hours studying topics related to his chosen major, but if he misses out on a liberal arts education, what use is he? He may know everything about astrophysics but without studying philosophy he might miss out on understanding complexities. Without history, he might not understand how his field of study has progressed and so on. It is very important that we recognize that knowledge cannot be, and should not be, limited to one narrow specific field.
A university has failed its students if it doesn’t provide a liberal arts education. I’m not paying money to learn the bare minimum of what I need to be successful.
Liberal arts education provides students with tools to better understand who they are individually. By taking advantage of the classes offered in a liberal arts education, it gives students more understanding into opposing points of view. A liberal arts education allows them to challenge their preconceived notions of what they believe. It opens their minds up to a way of thinking that they are not accustom to. This way of thinking will actually benefit students in the long run. Employers rely on their employees to always be thinking out of the box, to be able appeal to a broad audience and to be able to adapt quickly to a rapidly changing economy and culture. By studying liberal arts, students are already accustom to doing so. Liberal arts education prepares students for a job in its own right. It prepares students for a job in ways that can’t be measured but by teaching them new ways of thinking and expanding their minds.
