Joyce Baldwin : Liberal Arts For A New Millenium

Short Essays(4): Identify and analyze the GI Bill. At the end of World War II, in order to make the transition to civilian life for returning soldiers easier, Congress had passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, otherwise known as the GI Bill. This bill provided veterans low cost mortgages to facilitate home ownership, Veterans Administration hospitals to grant lifetime medical care, and it paid tuition with addition to stipends for college or vocational school. However, for African American and Japanese American veterans, they were entirely barred from moving into predominantly white neighborhoods, but into ethnic ghettos.

To discuss the value of liberal education, there should be a mutual understanding that investing in college means to invest in oneself. Furthermore, while some consider this investment to be a critical stepping stone to success, others dismiss it, explaining that school simply cannot prepare someone for the “real world.” Sanford J. Ungar and Robert Reich explore both of these subjective values in their essays “The New Liberal Arts” and “College is a Ludicrous Waste of Money.” Ungar, the president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, discusses why a liberal education should be sought after; he does so by introducing common misconceptions about liberal arts and, using argumentative persuasion, proves their insignificance. On the other hand, Reich, the former secretary of labor, argues against the conventional belief of college being the only road to financial wellbeing; rather, he explains why a two-year education may better accommodate many college students, especially those in need of immediate work or those that simply cannot afford a four-year education. In all, although both Reich and Ungar generally discuss liberal education, their perspectives differ when it comes to its practicality in the current economy. Also, to express their different views about liberal arts, the authors use contrasting tones to present their ideas to different intended audiences.

In discussions of liberal education, one controversial issue has been if all who have the academic ability to absorb a college-level education should in fact get one. On the one hand,

In the essay “The Day the Purpose of College Changed,” Dan Berrett continuously insists how higher education has shifted from the fixation on liberal education to business and economics and utilizing other critic’s opinions on the ever growing career-based education. During the time of “economic ruin” (Berrett 64), Ronald Reagan suggested that “certain intellectual luxuries” (Berrett 65) could be cut from the budget due to his belief that the sole purpose of college should prepare students for jobs and the real world, rather than just sheer amusement (Berrett 65). Berrett as well acknowledged the views of liberals, such as Thomas Jefferson, who believed that liberal education would “strengthen democracy” (Berrett 66) while adhering to the opinion

By the middle of the twentieth century, as the United States became a world power, the educational focus had shifted from elementary education to the attainment of high school and college degrees. A goal of education was to produce leaders. The period after WWII

As we move out of the 20th century into a world where technology is changing the way we work and play and are educated, college enrollment is at an all time high. But based on the SAT and ACT scores, academic achievement has declined leading to the question in Joyce Baldwin's article, "Liberal Arts for New Millennium", of whether or not a liberal arts background should still be included in the definition of "an educated person".

In his article “ The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar talks about how undergoing a Liberal-Arts education is criticized by many and in his arguments he brings seven very important points of misconceptions. The first point he discusses how many assume that liberal education is not a necessity but he argues that students need to know what they want as a career. Choosing an education that is right for them rather than being driven by other economic factors. To a job the is unsatisfying and they can barely make a living from. Ungar also argues that even with a liberal arts degree or any other degree, in economically tough times it will be just as hard to get a job. Companies will look to hire individuals based on what other and new skill sets they may have to offer.

In “Are Too Many People Going to College?”, the author, Charles Murray explains the advantages of a liberal arts undergraduate degree, diminishes the importance of a college B.A., and claims that more people should consider providing goods and services rather than pursuing more advanced careers. He begins by outlining the importance of “core knowledge” being taught at a younger age in order to provide students with “cultural literacy” in American history and literature. After addressing a basis of education, he continues to discuss the importance of a liberal arts education over a “brick-and-mortar campus”. In the final part of his writing he connects the previous information to belittle the importance of a four year college degree

“The New Liberal Arts” is an article written by Sanford J. Ungar, who is a president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. In the beginning of his article, Ungar wrote, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around the liberal arts education has been especially hard hit.” In other words, Ungar means that recent economic recessions have made a huge impact on what people think of going for a liberal arts degree. In his essay, Ungar lists seven misperceptions and how he reacts to them. The most common misperception that Ungar identified is that liberal arts degrees are no longer affordable. The cost for liberal arts education is very expensive while

Higher education in modern day America has become a debated topic, with some saying that it is not worth it due to the debt it leaves upon leaving, and some saying that it opens opportunities that surpass the results of obtaining one. A resulting view from this conflict is that certain forms of education aren’t as beneficial as others. A primary example of one of these less valuable educations is the study of Liberal Arts. Author Sanford J. Ungar discredits this view in his article The New Liberal Arts where he discusses the many misconceptions that have come to form this interpretation. To convince the reader of these misunderstandings, Ungar uses the appeals of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, with heavy appeal to logic (Logos) over the other two. Each misconception uses and focuses on more of one appeal than others, and by doing this, he is very successful in influencing the reader into considering that these misunderstandings are present.

Martin Luther King Junior said, “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” Higher education does not exist for the sole purpose of preparing students for future jobs; it’s there in order to prepare individuals for life where they are expected to participate in their community, their government, and the lives of those around them. Liberal arts, in particular, exist for the broadening of students’ minds in order for them to be successful not only in their chosen career but also in their lives outside of it. Liberal arts lost their past popularity during the last few decades, but they shouldn’t be disregarded in favor of technical and professional degrees because they still provide students with skills that are perhaps less tangible, but no less necessary for life in modern world.

The issue that has been addressed throughout this study is veteran’s rights. The issue of veteran’s rights is still being pursued and is near and dear to me. Not only am I a veteran, but I come from a long line of men and women who have proudly worn the uniform in defense of our nation. Between the mindset of the American public, to the cases presented before Congress, this is an ongoing dilemma. Caring for our brothers and sisters in arms is the socially responsible thing to do. However, many roadblocks must be torn down before this can come to fruition.

In 1947, the Truman Commission expressed their concern with America’s status as being the leading nation. Plaguing issues that occurred during the post-World War II era put an emphasis on the need for a skilled workforce and accessible post-secondary education for American citizens (Kim and Rury, 2007). While four-year institutions were available, a gap was placed in higher education achievement for those who were interested in workforce development and general education.

According to The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a study found that “at peak earnings ages (56-60 years) workers who majored as undergraduates in the humanities or social sciences earn annually on average about $2000 more than those who majored as undergraduates in professional or pre-professional fields.” This study which was conducted also found that the unemployment rate for recent liberal arts graduates showed a declining unemployment rate of only 5.2 percent. Not only does the estimated 9.6 million individuals hold a bachelor’s degree in the humanities or social sciences field, nearly 4 million of these individuals also attain a graduate or professional degree. These graduates with advanced degrees usually

One way that the world we live in is changing is the way we interact with one another. Before everyone had their own personal computer