A Liberal Arts Education Prepares Students to Succeed in a Diverse World
The liberal arts education provided by the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences produces not just work-ready students, but life-ready students—students who are equipped to succeed in all areas of life an increasingly diverse world.
All of the core courses Dietrich School students take as part of their general education requirements are purposefully crafted and selected to achieve this goal. These courses help students to develop skills that will benefit them not just in any career they might choose, but as people who are active participants in a globalized world. These skills include critical thinking, ethical judgement, written communication, and intercultural competency, just to name a few. (And, as students build these crucial skills, each credit they earn moves them closer to graduation.)
General education requirements help students to develop the capacity to put tough issues into a larger context, think critically, and understand multiple viewpoints and perspectives. These skills are critical, especially in these polarized times.
These skills enable students to connect with more people from a wide variety of backgrounds as well as build stronger networks. They enable students to sift through the massive amounts of information they receive each day from so many varied sources, analyze it, and use it in ways that are meaningful to them. They allow students to become not just educated, employable adults, but people with the skills necessary to imagine and implement solutions to problems rather than just simply argue about the issues of the day. In this way, these courses are helping to grow our students into future leaders and change makers, not just future employees.
In the words of Marvin Krislov, president of Oberlin College, liberal arts courses “prepare students to lead meaningful, considered lives, to flourish in multiple careers, and to be informed, engaged citizens of their communities and the world.” The new diversity requirement will enhance the liberal arts core education Dietrich School students receive and help us make good on our promise to produce “life-ready students” who will not just succeed, but lead, in an increasingly diverse world.