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American Higher Education: an Obligation to the Future

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American Higher Education: an Obligation to the Future American Higher Education: to the An Obligation Future by VARTAN G RE G ORIA N, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York In recent years, there The specifics are indeed eye-opening. They reveal that has been a debate raging over the long-term, humanities graduates actually fare better among policymakers, than their peers who are focused on particular professional students, educators, con- fields. Upon graduating from college, those who majored in cerned parents, and many the humanities and social science made, on average, $26,271 others about the purpose in 2010 and 2011, slightly more than those in science and of higher education: is mathematics but less than those in engineering and in profes- it meant to help develop sional and pre-professional fields. However, by their peak an inquiring mind and a earning age of 56 to 60, these individuals earned $66,185, deep appreciation for the putting them about $2,000 ahead of professional and pre- value of how knowledge professional majors in the same age bracket.2 Further, em- enriches one’s lifelong ployers want to hire men and women who have the ability to personal and professional think and act based on deep, wide-ranging knowledge. For achievements or should example, the report finds that 93 percent of employers agree it be simply focused on that candidates’ demonstrated capacity to think critically, gaining the skills to pur- communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more sue a well-paying career? important than their undergraduate major, and 55 percent PHOTO BY MICHAEL FALCO In other words, we seem said that what they wanted from potential employees was to have divided higher education into a black-and-white sce- both field-specific knowledge and skills and a broad range nario in which either an individual becomes a sort of pie-in- the-sky dreamer, well-read and able to quote great thinkers but probably starving in a garret while unable to get a decent job, or Students do not have to make else he or she graduates from college and immediately plunges artificial choices between into the world of technologically complex, high-stakes, high- financial-reward work and becomes a “great success.” what they want to know Perhaps the time has come to reconsider that either-or proposition about higher education. The issue is too complex about the world and the skills to be addressed in such a simplified manner. For example, as a new study1 from the Association of American Colleges and they need to succeed in it. Universities (AACU) reports, “Students, parents, and poli- cymakers interested in the ‘return on investment’ of college of knowledge and skills. Even more evidence of hiring man- education [often assume] that a major in a liberal arts field agers’ interest in richly educated individuals is the finding has a negative effect on employment prospects and earnings that four out of five employers agree that all students should potential.” But the AACU study makes clear there is com- acquire broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences.3 pelling evidence that a liberal arts degree continues to be All this is heartening news in that it reminds us that the a sound investment, especially in these difficult economic current generation of students—and those who follow after times. The facts show that compared to students who major them—do not have to make artificial choices between what in professional, preprofessional, or STEM fields, liberal arts they want to know about the world and the skills they need to majors fare very well in terms of both earnings and long- succeed in it. But there are some who are still not persuaded term career success. (Continued on page 83) 1 How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment: A Report on Earnings and Long-Term Career Paths, by Debra Humphries and Patrick Kelly, published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. 2 “Humanities Majors Don’t Fare As Badly As Portrayed, New Earnings Report Says,” HuffPost College, January 23, 2014. 3 Op. cit. How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment. American Higher Education: An Obligation to the Future Vartan Gregorian—continued from inside front cover of this. In fact, it is interesting to note there is yet another not equal knowledge. The ability to carry around the entire choice that various pundits have recently suggested students corpus of Greek literature on an iPhone or some similar de- should consider—not going to college at all. The rationale vice may be astonishing, but that does not mean that the indi- behind that notion is that while the knowledge gained in col- vidual who possesses such a device actually knows anything lege and university classrooms may be both wonderful and about Greek literature. One still has to read. One still has enlightening, it is not necessarily useful in “real life.” That to listen and see with one’s own eyes. One still has to pon- seems an empty argument to me and one that is refuted, for der ideas, explore the realms of both material and spiritual instance, by a quick glance at a recent list of the Forbes 400 knowledge, and discuss these matters with other people. richest people in America, which shows that 84 percent hold In that connection, I would argue that the deep-seated postsecondary degrees. Similarly, of the Fortune 500 CEOs, yearning for knowledge and understanding endemic to 93 percent have a college degree—many in the humanities human beings is an ideal that a liberal arts education is sin- and social sciences. gularly suited to fulfill. Albert Einstein, in his inimitable The success of these individuals and others underscores fashion, went right to the heart of the matter, asserting that a point I have often made to students: that one of the immea- the practical men and women among us try to explain all surable values of a liberal arts education is how it can open phenomena by cause and effect. But, Einstein said, “This up a world of possibilities, including life and career paths to way of looking at things always answers only the question follow that might otherwise have seemed unimaginable to a ‘Why?’ but never the question, ‘To what end?’”4 To search young man or woman just starting out. But that is a wonderful for even a glimpse of the answers to such great philosophical challenge for someone who is motivated to explore their own conundrums one needs to know not only what is taught in a potential: after all, if the only purpose of education is to train classroom, but also how to think for oneself. an individual for a specific job or skill, life would be much Of course, one also has to know history, particularly the simpler—and, I might add, perhaps much less interesting. history of one’s own nation. In that regard, as Americans, we have an obligation, as citizens to whom the future of our country has been entrusted, to understand the obstacles we It is still useful to remind have faced in the past and both the problems and opportu- ourselves that the greatest service nities that lie ahead. As Benjamin Franklin said, issuing a still-timely challenge in response to a query at the close of technology can provide us the Constitutional Convention of 1787, what the Founding Fathers had created was “A Republic, if you can keep it.” is as an adjunct to knowledge, Keep it we must, and we will, but to do so we need an informed and educated citizenry who can take full advan- not as a replacement for it. tage of the almost 4,200 colleges and universities in our country, including some 1,700 public and private two-year With all that said, it remains clear that increasing our ex- institutions. And let me point out that computers and Web pertise in technology and related fields is critical to the prog- sites have yet to put those colleges and universities out of ress of our society. Nevertheless, it is still useful to remind business. Why is this? Because of one simple reason: we are ourselves that the greatest service technology can provide us not a virtual society yet. Not yet. Human beings, by their is as an adjunct to knowledge, not as a replacement for it. very nature, are rational, spiritual, and social beings. They Technology by itself is not a creator of content. Though the are not abstractions. They are not socioeconomic, consumer Internet and all the technological devices that now connect or entertainment units destined to be confined inside the us to it have made it possible for much of humanity to have small world of their cubicles and subject to what I call “cu- access to a virtual Library of Alexandria, access alone does bicle alienation.” Even though people can watch almost any 4 The Born-Einstein Letters 1916-1955 (MacMillan Press Ltd. 1971; 2005). Winter 2014 — CARNEGIE REPORTER 83 movie they want on-demand from their cable service or on ticular emphasis is on the growing number of students who DVDs, men and women still go to movie houses to share the are not following the path directly from high school gradu- experience of being immersed in a story told through sound ation to the college campus. As he points out, “The ‘tradi- and images in the company of other human beings. People tional’ college student aged 18 to 22 is no longer the norm. have Bibles, Talmuds, and Korans in their homes but they Many people still think that the typical college student is an still go to churches, synagogues, and mosques to share their 18- to 22-year-old who’s attending a four-year residential common bonds and traditions.
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