The Sloan Foundation's New Liberal Arts Program aims to make a fundamental transformation in the liberal arts curriculum, by infusing applied mathematics and technological literacy. The program is examined by the president of Wellesley College in the context of current philosophical and practical constraints in higher education. (MSE)

The official and unofficial missions of the university are fragmented and overwhelm the system. Three fundamental resolutions are suggested: (1) sharper distinction between skilled training and university education, (2) a shift toward providing broad understanding and problem-solving skills rather than predominantly scientific method, and (3) an…

Describes the origins and characteristics of Deep Springs College (DSC), which since 1917 has teamed liberal arts instruction with the physical labor of running a cattle ranch. Uses alumni survey responses to assess the long-term effects of attending DSC. Examines paradoxes inherent in the school and its future prospects. (DMM)

Women, it is suggested, must have a curriculum with images of achievement and aspiration comparable to those of white middle class males. Two goals of women's studies are discussed: to develop a body of scholarship and a new curriculum about women and to transform the "mainstream" curriculum. (MLW)

Inquiry education cuts across conventional distinctions between liberal arts and professional programs and is supported by specially designed curricula and pedagogies. The establishment of Hampshire College is described. The idea that undergraduate education should promote students' intellectual independence was a strong thread through the…

Articles include: "The International Education of Liberal Arts Students" (J. Patrick Dale); "Internationalizing Language and Area Studies: The Case of Indiana University" (Alexander Rabinowitch); "Future Scientists: An International Perspective" (Frederick H. Horne); "International Curriculum for the…

Describes study that sought to find the ratio of liberal arts to nonliberal arts courses taught in the nation's community colleges; the extent to which the curriculum is devoted to nonliberal arts; the number of transferable nonliberal arts courses; and the variability of transfer of these courses. Considers the transferability of nonliberal arts…

A study of five private liberal arts colleges (Arkansas, Catawba, Pomona, Waldorf, Washington) examined organizational changes in the 1980s, contributing factors, and overall institutional impact. Results suggest the colleges were better places to work and learn than a decade earlier, with improvements in campus life, curricula, faculty…

It is suggested that a new approach to education for academic careers, one which adds training in teaching and service to training for research, is gaining interest. A number of initiatives, privately and publicly funded, and market forces that support this trend are noted. (MSE)

The quest for diversity must overcome the resistance of traditional White, male faculty to redefining the mission and curriculum of the liberal arts college. Change will be difficult, but it must occur if liberal arts colleges are to survive and maintain a central and relevant place in multicultural America. (MSE)

A British industrialist and educator comments on how a college education should prepare individuals for the world of work and decision making, noting the importance of self-discovery, the relevance of multiple intelligences, the deception of competition, the similarity of learning and working, and the value of reflection. (MSE)

Describes an Alverno College (Wisconsin) first-semester general education course in studio arts that attempts to use the creative arts to develop skills in communicating, analyzing, inferring values, and formulating responses to works of art; to use varied teaching strategies to meet the needs of first-semester students; and to tailor these…

It is one thing to lament the financial pressures put on universities, quite another to face up to the poverty of resources for thinking about what universities should do when they purport to offer a liberal education. In "Powers of the Mind", former University of Chicago dean Donald N. Levine enriches those resources by proposing fresh…

This book analyzes the crisis facing the American liberal arts college and offers a proposal for its reform. It argues that a college's infidelity to the ideals of liberal education adversely affects its relationship to society, its educational program, and its teachers. A definition and a defense of liberal education ideals is offered. The author…

Ideas for the success of liberal arts colleges in the last decades of the twentieth century are presented by the president of Central Methodist College. In addition to considering specific concerns affecting students, faculty, the administration, and relations with the church, philosophical views concerning an ideal or successful liberal arts…