
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
Liberal Arts at the Brink
About this book
Liberal arts colleges represent a tiny portion of the higher education marketāno more than 2 percent of enrollees. Yet they produce a stunningly large percentage of America's leaders in virtually every field of endeavor. The educational experience they offerāsmall classes led by professors devoted to teaching and mentoring, in a community dedicated to learningāhas been a uniquely American higher education ideal.
Liberal Arts at the Brink is a wake-up call for everyone who values liberal arts education. A former college president trained in law and economics, Ferrall shows how a spiraling demand for career-related education has pressured liberal arts colleges to become vocational, distorting their mission and core values. The relentless competition among them to attract the "best" students has driven down tuition revenues while driving up operating expenses to levels the colleges cannot cover. The weakest are being forced to sell out to vocational for-profit universities or close their doors. The handful of wealthy elite colleges risk becoming mere dispensers of employment and professional school credentials. The rest face the prospect of moving away from liberal arts and toward vocational education in order to survive.
Writing in a personable, witty style, Ferrall tackles the host of threats and challenges liberal arts colleges now confront. Despite these daunting realities, he makes a spirited case for the unique benefits of the education they offerāto students and the nation. He urges liberal arts colleges to stop going it alone and instead band together to promote their mission and ensure their future.
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Information
Table of contents
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. Liberal Arts Colleges and Why We Should Care about Them
- 2. The Economic Health of Liberal Arts Colleges
- 3. The Declining Demand for Liberal Arts Education
- 4. Competing
- 5. Cooperating
- 6. Recruiting Students
- 7. Liberal Arts Teachers: A Profile
- 8. Employing and Deploying Faculty for Teaching Excellence
- 9. Tenure
- 10. Curriculums
- 11. At the Brink
- Epilogue: A Fable
- Appendix: Data on the 225 Colleges
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index