Speech- Kayla Beebout

Why Liberal Arts are a Great Choice in a Tough Economy         

The type of college education you choose can make or break your career.  It can determine your future.  I understand that this is first hour, and I understand that I’m standing in front of a room of juniors.  Being juniors in first hour, I imagine that most of you probably don’t even want to think about college.  I get that, but this is important to me and ultimately is just as important to you.  Now, usually a large public university would seem like the ideal choice.  But not always.  There is an alternative that is, admittedly, often more expensive but that can give you so much more for your money.  This alternative is something called a liberal arts college.  In today’s uncertain and ever-changing economy, a broad liberal arts education can be more beneficial than a specialized, technical education.  Liberal arts colleges developed from the earliest forms of higher education, forms that were proven to work.  The communities at these universities are closer-knit and more supportive than those in large public universities, and the track records of their graduates are on the whole more impressive. 

I’ve already established that this is a junior first hour class, but this is also an English class, so you probably especially don’t want to think about history. But a bit of history demonstrates the worth of liberal arts education.  The ancient Greeks came up with the idea of a liberal arts education.  They believed that citizens, free men, needed an education that would allow them to develop their intellect and humanity instead of technical skills.  They studied grammar, rhetoric, and logic.  The Romans saw the value in such an education, and many of the most prominent members of Roman society sent their sons to Greece for a liberal arts education.  The term actually is derived from the Latin word “liberalis,” which when used as an adjective, meant something appropriate for free men.  In 1636, Harvard College was founded as the first liberal arts college in America.  Today, liberal arts colleges still offer an enticing alternative to the more impersonal atmosphere of a large public university.

Imagine you’re going to a large college in a big city, maybe New York or Chicago.  Now imagine yourself in a class at that college.  The professor at the front has to use a microphone in order to be heard in the back rows of the classroom, which is really more of an auditorium.  He has no idea who you are and you don’t really know him either.  You didn’t really understand the lecture, but you can’t ask the professor about it because he is too busy working on his research project and again, he doesn’t really know who you are anyway.  This scenario would not play out at a liberal arts college.  These colleges tend to be much, much smaller than public universities, so your professors know you.  More than that, they care about you.  Their jobs are not focused around developing long, complex research projects.  Their jobs are focused around helping you succeed.  The smaller enrollment sizes also make for a closer community, as many more of the students know one another.  It has been said that although you may not find a group that shares all of your interests, that can teach you how to integrate into society instead of isolating yourself from it.  And in our increasingly global society, that will be an invaluable skill.  This community and intimacy also leads to more productive discussions in class, because people are not afraid of their opinions being judged or discounted.  This then leads to a deeper understanding of yourself and others, which would not have been as readily available in a large public university.  I understand that some of you don’t want to go to a college where you know almost everyone and that some of you may not want to study anything outside of your major, but I still haven’t talked about the thing that might actually wake some of you up: money.

I’m sure that not many of you would object to being financially stable or well off.  Well, liberal arts graduates have a history of doing well for themselves.  Their broad areas of expertise allow them to fit into a wide range of careers, something especially important with the economy as it is.  The Liberal Arts College Review reported that eight percent of the nation’s most prominent CEOs were graduates of liberal arts programs, and that twenty percent of our Presidents were as well.  This may not sound extremely impressive to you, but take into account that only three percent of college graduates are from liberal arts programs and suddenly these numbers are much more impressive.  These programs focus so much on success and personal development that these statistics are not surprising.  Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, says that this type of education allows for a certain kind of innovation and flexibility that makes calculated risk taking much easier and effective.  These skills are what make people truly successful in business today. However, there is another side to the money issue I wish to address.

I want to take some time to deal with concerns with this type of education, the biggest of which is cost.  Yes, liberal arts colleges are expensive.  But they don’t have to be out of reach.  Many of them offer substantial academic and need-based scholarships, and athletic scholarships are becoming more common.  However, it can still be hard to pay for this type of education, and many people want the amenities and resources of a large university.  Many public universities, such as Western Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky, have incorporated Honors Colleges into their offerings.  These programs are the same concept as the Liberal Arts Academy here at Henry Clay: they are communities of successful students receiving a liberal arts education while at a larger school.  This way, you can have an affordable liberal arts education while still enjoying the facilities of a larger university.

Now that you realize that a liberal arts education can be an affordable alternative, I hope that you will be encouraged to explore for yourselves what these schools have to offer.  I believe that the interactions you will have at a liberal arts college will be rewarding and meaningful.  Faculty actually care about you as a human being, not as a statistic.  You will receive skills and preparation that will make you competitive in the job market.  And you become a part of a time-honored tradition of education as a means to learning, not as a means to a job.  This decision is probably not one you should make in first hour, but think about it.  Because your decision could change the course of your life.

 

Bibliography

"The Value of a Liberal Arts Education." Interview by SUNY at New Paltz. Youtube.com. Sunynewpaltz, 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 June 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEv0fUZ60lA>.

Liberal Arts College Review. "What Is a Liberal Arts College?" Liberal Arts College Review. Liberal Arts College Review, n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.liberalartscollegereview.com%2Farticles%2F1>.

Roth, Michael. "What's a Liberal Arts Education Good For?" Web log post. The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 1 Dec. 2008. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-roth/whats-a-liberal-arts-educ_b_147584.html>.

Westermann, Mariet. "Liberal Arts Vision in a Global Age: Romance or Reality?" 30th Anniversary Great Issues Lecture. John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Hanover. 26 Mar. 2012. Youtube.com. Web. 17 June 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aEw3TUHQBQ>.