It’s no secret that American higher education is under siege, with public confidence in the entire system in rapid decline. Politicians have fueled this by proposing legislation that would base funding for public colleges and universities exclusively on job acquisition for college graduates or stripping out so-called educational “frills,” such as “the search for truth,” “public service,” and “improving the human condition” from their university system’s mission statements (see, for example, actions in Wisconsin and Colorado). A liberal education, they would have us believe, is reserved for those within the ivory tower, reflecting a willful disconnect from the practical matters of everyday life. This positioning fosters the image of a liberal education as a self-indulgent luxury — an image that has led to the excising of humanities programs, especially in public institutions, in favor of vocational and pre-professional programs that are regarded as singularly capable of responding to demands for economic opportunity.
Yes, Employers Do Value Liberal Arts Degrees
It’s no secret that American higher education is under siege, with public confidence in the entire system in rapid decline. But a false-crisis narrative has been fueled by politicians who would have us believe that a liberal arts education is reserved for those within the ivory tower, reflecting a willful disconnect from the practical matters of everyday life. This positioning fosters the image of a liberal education as a self-indulgent luxury — an image that has led to the excising of humanities programs, especially in public institutions, in favor of vocational and pre-professional programs that are regarded as singularly capable of responding to demands for economic opportunity. In fact, research shows that employers overwhelmingly endorse broad learning and cross-cutting skills as the best preparation for long-term career success. The college learning outcomes they rate as most important are oral communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, working effectively in teams, written communication, and the real-world application of skills and knowledge — exactly the type of skills that a liberal arts education promises.