Faculty members from 24 institutions met at a CIC symposium in Chicago, Illinois on May 3–5 to explore a range of innovative programs that successfully blend professional preparation for business careers and liberal arts education. The Symposium on Business and the Liberal Arts: Integrating Professional and Liberal Education, is the second in a symposium series convened by CIC with support from the James S. Kemper Foundation. CIC initiated these activities out of concern that the proportion of students graduating with degrees in the liberal arts continues to decline, as professional programs grow in popularity. Building on the work started at the 2003 symposium, which brought together ten corporate leaders and ten college and university presidents to address the connections between liberal arts education and professional leadership, the faculty members participating in the May symposium shared their best practices and identified programs that might serve as models for other institutions wishing to bring together these two, often divergent educational paths.

The symposium was keynoted by Richard Stephens, senior vice president of human resources and administration for The Boeing Company, who emphasized the importance for effective business careers of a broad education with attention to such matters as moral formation and critical thinking. The second day began with remarks by Ryan LaHurd, president and executive director of the James S. Kemper Foundation, followed by three panel discussions that highlighted 11 programs represented in the symposium. Through these sessions, participants learned about a rich variety of programs aimed at bridging the business/liberal arts divide—some well-established and others just developing.

The work of the 2007 symposium will be the basis for a report that CIC plans to publish later this year showcasing several of the most innovative programs and offering recommendations for steps that can be taken on individual campuses to combine more effectively liberal arts education with preparation for business careers. CIC Senior Advisor David Paris is editing the report. See related story, page 13.

Paris will also lead a session about these innovative programs at CIC’s Institute for Chief Academic and Financial Officers in Philadelphia in November. The discussions at the 2003 symposium, held at Elmhurst College (IL), are summarized in the volume, Report of a Symposium on the Liberal Arts and Business, edited by Thomas Flynn and published by CIC in 2004. (That report is available online). For a hard copy edition, please send an email request to August Adams, CIC’s communications and web manager, at aadams@cic.nche.edu).