March 2011 • UO Homepage • UOAA Homepage • All Issues

Dean’s Roundtable: Scott Coltrane, Dean of Arts and Sciences

I arrived on the UO campus almost three years ago, in July, 2008, just two months before the economy took a dramatic turn for the worse. Since then, of course, the economy has struggled to rebound and only in recent weeks have we seen signs that the state of Oregon is finally digging out.

Crisis often serves as an opportunity for soul-searching and reflection, and this protracted recession has been no exception. But it's not just the recession that has given us pause here in the College of Arts and Sciences. Just as profound are the realities of the world at large in the early decades of the 21st century.

To state it simply: our students are coming of age in an era of unprecedented change and transformation. Consider these metrics from the U.S. Department of Labor:

Every year, more than 30 million Americans are working in jobs that did not exist in the previous quarter.
Every year, more than 1/3 of the entire U.S. labor force changes jobs.
Today's students will have 10-14 jobs by the time they are 38.
Fifty percent of workers have been with their company less than five years.

What do these statistics imply for an institution of higher learning? As former Secretary of Education Richard Riley has so aptly put it, "We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented, in order to solve problems that we don't even know are problems yet."

We must therefore ask ourselves how well the liberal arts education that we provide in the College of Arts and Sciences prepares students for a world of uncertainty as well as opportunity.

Liberal arts education is often contrasted with business or technical education, and the contrast is often stereotyped as impractical versus practical. But out in the “real world,” business leaders say they are looking for the exact attributes that liberal education provides.

In a recent study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, nearly 75 percent of employers said they want higher education to place more emphasis on liberal arts fundamentals such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving and communications skills, along with an understanding of global issues.

It is our belief — and this is reflected by remarks from some of the biggest names in industry — that as the pace of technological and cultural change continues to accelerate, intellectual flexibility and resourcefulness will only increase in value.

Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel Corp., indicates the necessity of liberal arts skills when he declares, "Our whole product line turns over every year. About 80 to 90 percent of the revenue we have in December of each year comes from products that weren't there in January." The underlying message is: without an understanding of the big picture and higher-order problem-solving skills, how can a future Intel employee be prepared for this ever-changing reality?

Here’s another, more explicit example: When Steve Jobs introduced the latest iPhone last June, he made a statement that points straight to the value of the liberal arts in the 21st century. “We’re not just a tech company, even though we invent some of the highest technology products in the industry,” said Jobs. “It’s the marriage of that plus the humanities or the liberal arts that distinguishes Apple.”

We would agree with Jobs that entrepreneurial, innovative thinking is exactly the kind fostered by a liberal arts education — one that emphasizes not only the mastery of specific subject matter but also the ability to synthesize ideas, analyze alternatives and effectively express and support a line of reasoning.

And this applies to not only high-tech companies or their future workers and leaders, but across the board, in every profession, across the globe.

A recent study from the Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce shows that a liberal arts education is associated with higher earnings. Not only do college graduates earn more than non-college graduates, but the highest salaries are associated with positions that call for intensive use of liberal education capabilities, including writing, mathematics, inductive and deductive reasoning, problem solving, social skills, and originality.

In sum, in the rapidly shifting job markets of the future, those most likely to succeed will be those who have learned how to learn, have a strong multidisciplinary education and have the skills and experience to adapt to changing conditions.

With the distinction between education for work and for life becoming increasingly obsolete, the College of Arts and Sciences continually strives to offer the best of both worlds. In support of this, the UO Academic Plan reaffirms the central role of a liberal education and confirms the UO’s commitment to one of our oldest and highest goals: helping the individual learn to question critically, think logically, communicate clearly, act creatively and live ethically.

If we can accomplish this goal we will have fulfilled our mission to prepare the next generation for the challenges we cannot yet imagine.