Liberal Arts: Lessons from the US Experience

Liberal Arts: Lessons from the US Experience Natalie Zacek, University of Manchester

Forbes Top US Colleges/Universities, 2013 • #2 Pomona College • #6 Swarthmore College • #9 Williams College • #13 Amherst College • #17 Bowdoin College • And 12 other liberal arts colleges in the top 50 • Source: http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/

What are these colleges like? • Total enrollments: between 1500 and 2500 students • Total cost per year: $55,000 - 60,000 • Acceptance rates: 13 – 21% of applicants • Alumni donation rates: 52 – 56% of graduates

Advantages of the liberal arts education • Faculty held to very high standards for teaching • Small classes, even in the sciences • Commitment to integrated teaching • More research-led teaching • Extensive informal contacts between staff and students • Focus on excellence in writing

What probably isn’t possible to replicate • Small intakes of students • Small individual modules • Complete curricular flexibility • Financial and administrative independence

What we might be able to replicate • Pay more than lip service to teaching in hiring and promotion • Accept that we may have to teach more—but savings can be reinvested • Replace modular, exam-centred assessment with holistic curricular development • Rethink the “reading a subject” model • Focus on skills as much as knowledge

And, most crucially: • Be far clearer and more assertive about the value of the humanities in terms of employability and economic contribution, as well as in relation to intellectual satisfaction.

What might we gain? • Students who are more capable and confident, and thus more employable • A more cohesive student body • Academic staff who feel a greater sense of control over what and how they teach, and who see themselves as making a real difference in their students’ development • Greater alumni loyalty

Liberal Arts: Lessons from the US Experience