Soon after the Great Recession of 2008 hit this manufacturing stalwart of the upper Midwest, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker began proclaiming that the skills gap--the idea that plenty of well-paying jobs existed, but the educational system was failing to provide employers with skilled workers--was the primary cause of high unemployment and a…

In the late 1990s, the wild hope of the Lilly Endowment was that a set of American higher education institutions would respond to the call for an exploration of vocation, giving a portion of their precious institutional lives to explore this question with undergraduates. Through projects on multiple campuses, the intent was to learn whether and…

In recent years, the health professions have moved from "eminence-based" solutions to "evidence-based" problem solving. This evolution provides new opportunities to implement integrative curricula for those preparing for the health professions. These new curricula can be built on the Essential Learning Outcomes identified through the Association…

The Xerox Center for Training and Management Development considers itself an adjunct rather than an alternative to traditional higher education; the center's responsibility is to supply its students with the specific knowledge and skills they need to do their jobs efficiently and to advance professionally. (JMF)

Central issues in the preparation of students for health-related fields by liberal arts institutions include providing early orientation to health careers and effective counseling, the avoidance of "special" courses in basic sciences, identifying health careers reflecting the students' personality needs, and keeping abreast of emerging careers in…

The myth of the teacher-scholar is injurious to liberal education because when it becomes the ideal for a liberal arts college, the development of experts takes priority over the development of wise people. The liberal arts college must resist vocationalism, deemphasize faculty publishing, and create a reward system to restore teaching to utmost…

Issues affecting the health professions and health systems beyond 1984 are presented in the context of the impact which these developments will have on health sciences education. It is suggested that education must prepare people to avert economic and ethical exploitation and increased governmental control and regulation. (JMF)

Waiting tables is filled with decisions like this, moments when servers use their knowledge of people to ease or vex their customers' souls. The server must approach each table and ascertain what the patrons want, or more precisely, what they need. And this includes not just what they want to eat and drink, but also how much they know about food…

An Association of American Colleges program to promote graduate student exploration of and commitment to college teaching is described. In it, liberal arts colleges are paired with graduate institutions so students have experiences making them aware of the variety of campus cultures and range of faculty responsibilities. (MSE)

Radical college curricular experimentation in citizenship for education could make campuses more exciting places to teach and study. The curriculum can be designed around perennially important questions about community, loyalty, obedience, legitimacy, power, and justice. (Author/MSE)

An interdisciplinary program is described that provides a humanistically-oriented education for preprofessional students, particularly those in the health sciences. The program offers new and diverse courses for the humanities student and was instrumental in the establishment of a Center for Science and Culture. (Author/MLW)

A university graduate faculty member describes experiences in a program linking graduate students with a liberal arts college as preparation for college teaching. The primary issue that emerged was the deep prejudice and suspicion separating liberal arts and graduate university faculty and the need to encourage collaboration between these groups.…

Described in an experimental ethics course, taught at the University of Kentucky, in which the student combines the experience of a public agency internship with reflection afforded by readings and discussion of ethical issues in a seminar format. An evaluation of the program's effectiveness is reported. (JMD)

To liberate teaching and for teaching to be liberating, the learner in oneself must be freed. Experiences that have either diminished or enhanced the author's desire to learn are discussed and her experiences with women's studies are described. (MLW)

Seven doctoral students reflect on experiences in a program that linked them with liberal arts colleges in preparation for college teaching careers. Issues discussed include the link between research and teaching; cultivation of collegiality; value of mentors; role perceptions; learning to design and implement curricula; and breadth of faculty…