A Classic What is the study of Liberal Arts? Approach to Education  In-depth study of a broad range of subjects  Intended to increase understanding of: . Multiple academic subjects . The connections between those subjects . How those subjects affect the experiences of people

Basically, Liberal Arts is the study of humankind in both breadth and depth What is Liberal Arts?  Liberal Arts is NOT: . The study of exclusively . The study of fields from a (politically) liberal point of view . A professional, vocational, or technical  Some liberal arts have professional, vocational, or technical elements within the context of the liberal arts curriculum  But that is not their focus What Does Liberal Arts Seek to Understand? 1. The Natural World • How scientists devise experiments to test hypotheses • How to measure those experiments • How to interpret those measures • To attempt to find truth and to prove or disprove the hypotheses • To learn that it is ok to fail . You learn more that way! • That there is wonder in the act of discovery What Does Liberal Arts Seek to Understand? 2. , Reasoning, and • How mathematics is used . As the “” of science . By social scientists to test and use models • Mathematics has its own beauty  Fibonacci numbers  Fractals! What Does Liberal Arts Seek to Understand? 3. Social Sciences • Cause and Effect . How people influence events . How people are influenced by events . How social scientists build models to explain human behavior What Does Liberal Arts Seek to Understand? 4. and Literature • How humans react to various circumstances • To become skilled at communicating ideas • To read closely • The power of imagination • How to find bridges across historical and cultural divides • The human condition • To value the beauty of words! What Does Liberal Arts Seek to Understand? 5. Performing and Visual Arts • As a mode of expression • As an example of culture • For the sake of beauty • To interpret events • To appreciate the skill and thought that goes into creating Process of Education at Liberal Arts Colleges  Provide breadth in a range of subjects and depth in a major field to avoid narrow specialization  Focus on skills that last:  Writing, speaking, critical thinking, analysis  Offer small classes and close interaction with peers and  classes taught by , not teaching assistants Why Matters  Specialized skills become obsolete  The world changes rapidly  Those who are educated more broadly have a wider range of experiences to draw on and are more able to adapt to change

 The problems that need solving are complicated and “messy”  Communication is always an important skill  Understanding other people and processes makes you better able to solve problems for others in ways that respect the people who are affected by the solutions What are Liberal Arts and Sciences Colleges? Characteristics  Smaller populations  More individual attention for  Residential: Most students live on campus  Focus on  Professors teach undergraduates  Research opportunities for undergraduates  Few or No graduate students  Academic flexibility  1 or 2 years before you have to declare a major  Possible to change majors How are Liberal Arts Colleges different from Research Institutes or ?

 The mission of each: scholarship (new information) vs. teaching and mentoring  Research: opportunity vs. range and facilities  Size vs. intimacy  Personalized – this helps with placement into graduate or

Is Liberal Arts Right for You?  Small classes = Different way of learning  More interactive, less passive than  Ideal for students who are verbal and/or prefer to learn in smaller groups  Discourages competition for grades  Tends to focus on writing and reading  Must read closely  Writing across the curriculum  Examinations are written rather than multiple choice Is Liberal Arts Right for You?  Broad curriculum = Room to explore  May have a distribution requirement OR a core curriculum, OR may depend on faculty mentoring to help students with choosing courses  Usually Flexible and less prescribed  Ideal for curious students with many interests  Ideal for students with strengths in multiple areas Is Liberal Arts Right for You?

 Intimate environment = Lots of interaction  Ideal for social students who want to develop relationships with professors and fellow students  Values participation in class discussions  Living on campus: you actually get to know more people at a smaller school than a large one  Undergraduate only = no competing for resources with graduate students  ALL of the classes, laboratories , and student organizations are for YOU!

Advantages of Liberal Arts and Sciences colleges  Selective: Fellow students are motivated & eager to learn. An intentional community!  Residential: Learning (and fun!) occurs in and outside of class  Parents might be pleased to know that the faculty, staff, and fellow students are part of a community so there are more people who will know the student. Your student won’t get lost in a crowd. Advantages (continued)…

 Faculty chose to work here for several reasons: 1. To teach and mentor bright young people 2. Excellent opportunities for research 3. The facilities & resources are superb  This translates into tremendous personal attention to undergraduate students, including resources for international students What can graduates of Liberal Arts Colleges do with their ?  Everything!  This type of education prepares people for a life of change.  It makes them life-long learners.  Graduates of Liberal Arts colleges have high rates of acceptance to Medical , Law Schools, and MBA programs.  They become valued employees and managers because they can think flexibly and can articulate ideas. What about PhD programs after ?

 A recent study of ALL 4-year schools in the USA identified the undergraduate origins of PhD candidates.  Listed were the top 20 schools in the percentage of graduates that went on to get a PhD  10 of the top 20 were Liberal Arts colleges, and 5 of the top 10.

Notable Liberal Arts Colleges Graduates

 Kofi Annan ()  Former Secretary General of the United Nations  Hillary Clinton ()  U.S. Secretary of State, Former U.S. Senator  Rahm Emmanuel ()  Former Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama  Herb Kelleher (Wesleyan )  President and CEO of Southwest Airlines  ()  Former President of the  Nancy Pelosi (Trinity College)  First Female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives  Meryl Streep ()  Film Actress, multiple winner of Awards (Oscars)  Daniel Tsui (Augustana College)  Nobel Prize in 1999. China’s most prominent Physicist Notable Liberal Arts Colleges Graduates  Barrie Osborne ()  Producer of the Lord of the Rings movies.  Dean Rusk ()  Secretary of State under Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson  Jonathan Gay ()  co-creator of Flash, the most popular multimedia player on the Web  Joe Taylor, Jr. ()  winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating the existence of gravitational waves  Thomas Pritzker (Claremont McKenna College)  Chairman and CEO, Global Hyatt  James Buchanan ()  15th president of the United States  Daniel Gerber (Babson College)  Founder, Gerber baby foods  Herbert H. Lehman ()  49th governor of the state of New York and a co-founder of Lehman Brothers.

More Alumni…  Jim Davis ()  Chairman & CEO New Balance Shoe, Inc.  Bill Keller ()  Former Editor in Chief, New York Times  Gloria Steinem ()  feminist leader, political activist and founder and Editor of Ms. magazine  Cynthia Leive & Robert Zoellick ()  Zoellick: President of the World Bank  Leive: Editor in Chief of Glamour magazine  Nathaniel Hawthorne ()  Novelist and short story writer  Gary Snyder ()  Essayist, lecturer, environmental activist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry