Liberal Arts at the Brink

Victor E. Ferrall

Published by Harvard University Press 2011

Liberal Arts at the Brink

Victor E. Ferrall

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674060883

Overview
Contents

About this book

Liberal arts colleges represent a tiny portion of the higher education market—no 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 offer—small classes led by professors devoted to teaching and mentoring, in a community dedicated to learning—has 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 offer—to 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.

Author / Editor information

Ferrall Victor E. :

Victor E. Ferrall, Jr. is President Emeritus of Beloit College.

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
Contents Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
CHAPTER 1. Liberal Arts Colleges and Why We Should Care about Them Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
CHAPTER 2. The Economic Health of Liberal Arts Colleges Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
CHAPTER 3. The Declining Demand for Liberal Arts Education Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	40
CHAPTER 4. Competing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
CHAPTER 5. Cooperating Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
CHAPTER 6. Recruiting Students Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
CHAPTER 7. Liberal Arts Teachers: A Profile Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
CHAPTER 8. Employing and Deploying Faculty for Teaching Excellence Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
CHAPTER 9. Tenure Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	138
CHAPTER 10. Curriculums Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
CHAPTER 11. At the Brink Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	154
Epilogue: A Fable Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
Appendix: Data on the 225 Colleges Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	277
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 304
Illustrations
- Other: 23 tables

eBook

Published: July 15, 2011
ISBN: 9780674060883