Editorial: The Case for a Liberal Arts Education in 2020
The Gettysburgian Editorial Board (Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
By The Gettysburgian Editorial Board
We all have friends who intended to major in economics but are now studying biology and women, gender, and sexuality studies, or who intended to study English but have switched to public policy with a Spanish minor, or who had no idea what they wanted to study, but discovered a new passion. The freedom in a liberal arts education allows students to explore their interests before choosing a major and allows for continued academic exploration after choosing a major.
However, with a declining population of college-age students, fewer students are attending small liberal arts schools, leading to under-enrollment, budget constraints, and even five small liberal arts schools closing in 2019. In light of this, as we receive our liberal arts education, it is important to understand why these schools are valuable to their students and our country.
Often, we hear the argument that a liberal arts education is superfluous and does not adequately prepare students for jobs in a way that a large university would, as students take courses outside of their intended career path. Yet the job market is changing rapidly with technology and automation, which makes studying a multitude of subjects valuable. A well-rounded education can allow us to adapt quickly to new fields and use interdisciplinary knowledge and skills.
The unique hands-on experience at small schools can be key for employers looking to hire well-prepared students.
A Georgetown study found that the forty-year median returns on investment for liberal arts colleges and for engineering and technology schools are nearly the same.
Yet the value of a liberal arts education for students extends far beyond its economic worth in finding and succeeding in a career. Learning across disciplines allows students to develop as thoughtful citizens, make connections across classes, practice creative thinking skills, and critically evaluate the social problems we face. At our Painted Turtle Farm, for example, students combine knowledge of environmentally sustainable food and social and political conditions to address local food insecurity.
“…students learn how to participate effectively in a democracy and take a stance.”
Students attending a small school also learn how to participate in their community by voicing their opinions and working for lasting change. In the past few years at Gettysburg, students have advocated for better living conditions after finding mold in Hanson, planned and attended walkouts and protests for gun safety reform and for climate action, organized a massive get-out-the-vote effort, and pushed for more environmentally sustainable practices at Servo and the Bullet Hole. Through those experiences, students learn how to participate effectively in a democracy and take a stance.
When society puts increasing pressure on us to choose a career path early and devote our time to that one focus, it becomes all the more valuable that places exist where students can learn for the sake of personal growth, learn for the joy of learning, and learn for the public good. Liberal arts colleges counter the idea that education is simply job training, but rather a process to create thoughtful, community-focused citizens motivated to develop meaningful careers.
So while we are here, remember the value in taking stellar astronomy as an anthropology major or contemporary moral issues as a computer science major. Share your educational experience with younger friends and family members searching for a college, and encourage them to consider the liberal arts. Take the class that you have always wanted to take, even if it is completely unrelated to your major. Remember that the privilege of attending a school like this comes with the responsibility of contributing positively to our society.
We want our doctors to think about the sociological conditions in which they practice; we want our historians to understand economic influences; we want our policymakers to base legislation on scientific findings; we want our musicians to use politics in their art.
When we all choose how to vote, where we live, how we spend money, and how we treat each other daily, we will be better doing so with a breadth of knowledge rather than knowledge of one subject alone. In that way, liberal arts schools are key to the health of our society and democracy.
This article originally appeared on page 23 of the February 27, 2020 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
