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Richard Greenwald
Dean, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies
Many of us committed to the liberal arts have been defensive for as long as we can remember. We have all cringed when we have heard a version of the following joke: The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?"; the graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"; the graduate with a liberal arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"
We have responded to such mockery by proclaiming the value of the liberal arts in the abstract: it creates a well-rounded person, is good for democracy, and develops the life of the mind. All these are certainly true, but somehow each misses the point that the joke drives home. Today's college students and their families want to see a tangible financial outcome from the large investment that is now American higher education. That doesn't make them anti-intellectual, but simply realists. Outside of home ownership, a college degree might me the largest single purchase for many Americans.
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