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An Investment in Philosophy
In January, a Wall Street investor named Bill Miller donated $75 million to the philosophy department of his alma mater, Johns Hopkins. Not to computer science, not to the business or medical school, but to philosophy. Think of it! What prompted this remarkable and unconventional gift was Mr. Miller’s gratitude for “the value that it…
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End-of-Year Awards Highlight Student and Faculty Achievements
Every year at this time, I say to whomever is listening how much I love the month of May. Almost every college president does. It’s the time when our students work lights up our corridors, exhibition halls and classrooms. And as commencement rapidly approaches, it is also the time when we celebrate not just student…
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Career Success Depends on Liberal Arts, Part 2
One of the disturbing outcomes of the surveys I posted about recently on college learning and career success is the disparity between what employers and college students think about how prepared the students really are for the workplace. In fact, the survey report is titled: Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success. One of the…
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Career Success Depends on Liberal Arts
A recent survey of business and non-profit leaders conducted on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) concludes that “broad learning” and “cross-cutting skills” are the most important kinds of preparation for long-term career success. When hiring new employees, these employers “overwhelmingly” look for skills in oral and written communication, teamwork, ethical…
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Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Competition
The Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Competition celebrated its 25th anniversary here at FIT this year in two days of recitations in November. In a way, its longevity is a surprise—it is counter-intuitive. Who would expect, after all, that a college like FIT, whose entire raison d’etre is to promote career education, would so enthusiastically support…