Paul Young, executive vice president of NOVA Research, MD, (left), Richard J. Cook, president of Allegheny College (PA) (middle), and Michael Lomax, president of Dillard University (LA), discuss the connections between the liberal arts and business during the CIC symposium at Elmhurst College (IL) on November 20.

Ten CIC member presidents and ten business executives met at Elmhurst College (IL) on November 20 to explore how leaders in both the corporate community and at independent institutions of higher education can benefit from a better understanding of the connections between the liberal arts and business.
     A grant from the James S. Kemper Foundation supported the symposium. CIC will publish a summary and recommendations from the symposium. Thomas Hellie, executive director of the James S. Kemper Foundation attended the meeting, which was co-moderated by Harry L. Davis of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and CIC Senior Advisor Thomas F. Flynn, who directs the project.

During a discussion of long-term steps that CIC and college presidents could take to bring the liberal arts and business closer together, John W. Bachmann, managing partner of the international financial services firm, Edward Jones (MO), suggested that not only business leaders, but also doctors, lawyers, and other professionals should engage in similar discussions.

     The goals of the symposium, said CIC President Richard Ekman, “were to focus on the benefits of a liberal arts education, those problems that hamper a more effective relationship between the liberal arts and business, and those action steps that can make a difference.” Ekman noted the connection between education in the liberal arts and the quality of American civic life, adding that “the success of American institutions, particularly those in the corporate sector, depends heavily on more effective performance by colleges and universities. And we believe that the liberal arts have a singular role in this relationship and that private colleges and universities are especially well positioned to be leaders in this effort.”
     During the day-long symposium, participants spent time focusing on the barriers to appreciation of the liberal arts, and discussed specific steps that business and educational leaders could take to work together more effectively to prepare tomorrow’s leaders, especially in business, and recommended ways to advocate more effectively for the value of liberal arts education.

Northland College (WI) President Karen Halbersleben said that to make a more effective case for liberal arts education, presidents should talk more often with board members and CEOs of local corporations about the importance of the relationship between the liberal arts and business.

     Historical Perspective. The prospectus announcing the symposium noted that “for at least two generations, American colleges and universities have argued that the study of the liberal arts provides the best preparation for life, equipping students with transferable ideas, analytical and communication skills, and global perspectives, as well as the ability to make informed value judgments. Business leaders have been equally vocal about the importance of a liberal arts education as preparation for career advancement and for the exercise of leadership in the corporate community. However, recent developments have clouded this idealized view of the relationship between business and the liberal arts. On campus, for example, faculty members in the liberal arts often do not promote business careers to their students. In the business community, corporations that once hired liberal arts majors now prefer new employees with college majors in professional and technical fields because there is less time and money available for specialized training within the corporation.”

     Personal and Shared Perspectives. The strong connections between business and liberal arts noted by participants included the “creativity and the ability to think outside the box” (Rasmussen), “understanding human nature and perspectives” (DeFelice), “being able to look at the question of ‘why not’ and being able to change the status quo” (Travis), “the ability to communicate well” (Payne), “investing in human capital—bringing together and managing staff effectively” (Hutton), and “vision, strategic decision making” (Dashe), among others.

     Barriers to Appreciation of Liberal Arts. Some of the barriers that prevent understanding of the benefits of liberal arts education to future leaders, including those in business are:

• Failure to articulate “value added.” A sufficient case for the value of a liberal arts education is not being made.
• Narrow careerism. An increasingly narrow “careerism” attitude in the U.S. today is putting more pressure on students to think short term and to choose career paths and colleges early; students fail to understand that earning power is related to the level of education they achieve. And parents don’t understand that the liberal arts aren’t about the first job.
• Increasing specialization. An increasing specialization of both faculty members and businesses over time has become a barrier to the liberal arts.
• Faulty perceptions and assumptions. Many people perceive the liberal arts as elitist; the province of the wealthy; not as prestigious as a professional degree; and that liberal arts education is only for those students between the ages of 18 and 22. They assume that a liberal arts education equates to majoring in liberal arts, or that it is removed from professional education.

• Short-term steps. Immediate steps that can be taken, participants said, include holding additional meetings of campus and business leaders; encouraging major business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a similar discussion; including this subject on the agenda of CIC’s major annual conferences; and publishing opinion pieces jointly authored by a president and a local business leader.
• Long-term steps. Ideas included forming an advocacy group or alliance of appropriate higher education, business, and public policy leaders to create clearer definitions and messages about the liberal arts and its benefits; examining existing research and collecting data to document the relationship of the liberal arts to business; and launching a national public education campaign, including both testimony and data.

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Last updated: December 2003
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