view . spring2016
21
The ideaof pursuing auniversity education for something
other thanadegree thatwill catapult a grad from the
convocation stage straight intoa job seems almost quaint
nowadays.
Yet, in aworldwhere the forbidding spectre of unemployment
and student loandebt looms large, should students take a chance
on, say, the liberal arts?
Youbet, saysUniversityofWindsor PresidentAlanWildeman.
“Thequestion is, howdowe recognize thevalue thehumanities
bring?”Wildeman said inan interviewwith
TheWindsor Star
last
fall. “They teachpeople to think, read, critiqueandfind solutions
to complicatedproblems and that’s all great stuff.
“In the push towards practical training and the need to get
a job right away, I thinkwe’ve forgotten the value of that.”
In fact, in a September 2015 guest column run in
TheGlobe
andMail
,Wildemanmade a strong case forwhy it’s imperative
for universities to continue tooffer suchprograms, in spite of a
drop inprovince-wide enrolment.
In,“We Ignore theLiberal Arts at our Peril,” he noted that,
“Adegree in the liberal arts, with its focus on the broad spectrum
of human endeavour, has never beenneededmore.”
“It is one of society’s best investments inhelping to ensure
that our self-reflections are broad, and that in thisAge of
Justification, we donot forget the importance of enlightenment
and reason.”
Inotherwords, we shouldn’t throwout the studyof the liberal
artswith the bathwater in themisguided theory that only certain
degreeswill prove valuable.
Research also contradicts the idea of sagging returns on a
liberal arts degree. According to a studyby theBritishCouncil,
more than 55per cent of leaders inmodern countries come from
the humanities and social sciences.
The idea of “liberal arts” goes back to theAncient Greekswho
considered a liberal arts education tobe the ultimatemark of
an educatedperson.
Today, the liberal arts are broadly accepted as such areas
as film, visual arts, history, literature, languages, linguistics,
philosophy, communications, psychology, law, sociology,
astronomy, chemistry, andmathematics, toname but a few.
For thosewhowant to really explore this broad range of
study, theUniversityofWindsor offers a concentrated focus
through its Liberal Arts andProfessional Studies (LAPS) degree
programs.
These honours and general degrees allow students tobuild
apersonalized, educational experience. Thegoal is to ignitea love
of lifelong learning, a capacity for leadership, and self-advocacy
skills.
TheLiberal Arts andProfessional StudiesHonours degree is
a challenging, four-year program that’s excellent preparation
for such further academic studies as education, law,medicine,
business or graduate school. It is alsooffered as a three-year
general degree.
TheAeronautics LeadershipProgram is a variation that
provides a unique opportunity to combine a liberal arts and
leadership-focused educationwith commercial flight training
runby the program’s industrypartner, JourneyAir, atWindsor
International Airport.
Themost recent addition to theLiberal Arts andProfessional
Studies degree programs is the newDegreeCompletionProgram
inLiberal Arts andProfessional Studies for Career Professionals.
It canbe taken as full-time (two years) or part-time through
online courses.
TheDegreeCompletionprogram encourages graduates from
awide varietyof community college diploma programs to apply
for advanced standing.
Lecturer andprogram coordinator TimBrunet says that this
type of program is known as an “upside-down” degree because it
is suited topeople already in theworkforcewhowant to return to
university to expand their knowledge andqualifications.
“Students candelve intonearly every faculty andbuild a
degree that suits their personal needs and interests,” saysBrunet.
“This includes the ability to studyonline, part-time or full-time.”
Students in the degree completionprogrammay study
languages, communications, psychology, fine arts, philosophy,
BYJENNIFERAMMOSCATO
LIBERALARTS:
ATRADITIONALPATHWAYTO
THEWORLDOFTOMORROW
Opposite: Grant Pennington, director of hydrodistributionat EnWinUtilities.
