Liberal arts at heart of IU, allows for well-rounded graduates

IU President Adam Herbert recently told the board of trustees that "the life sciences is now our highest University priority."\nSo where does that leave the liberal arts at IU? University experts say right where it was -- at the heart of the mission of the campus.\nAlthough they don't receive as much press as IU's life sciences initiatives, the ever-growing School of Informatics or the consistently prestigious Kelley School of Business, educators say the arts still play a vital role in IU's elite reputation.\n"A substantial reason why IU does so well in peer rankings is its performance in liberal arts," said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre.\nIU Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said he has noticed a significant increase in the number of students choosing majors in liberal arts.\nGros Louis said he has also noticed considerable interest in IU's plan for liberal arts.\n"A while ago, the University Club asked me to give a speech on the future of liberal arts at IU. I haven't written the speech yet, so I can't tell you what I'm going to say, but obviously, I think it is something that people are thinking about," he said.\nGros Louis said he thinks students used to be pressured to major in disciplines such as business because they are more applicable.\nJ. Thomas Forbes, IU's executive director for state relations, agreed with Gros Louis and added that IU could head back into a period of decreased attention on liberal arts.\n"I think it goes in cycles," Forbes said. "I remember a few years ago, everyone wanted to get an MBA and be Alex P. Keaton. Now, people are worried about being well-rounded."\nGros Louis said the fact that enrollment has decreased at the business school while the College of Arts and Sciences has seen record enrollment in many departments shows that liberal arts is still very much alive.\nGros Louis said he agrees with Forbes' assessment that students want to be more well-rounded to prepare themselves for the workplace.\n"I think we have gone away from the materialism of the 1980s and the 'me too' society, so you'll see a lot more double majors in, say, religious studies," he said.\nThe myth that art majors end up homeless is one that will die, Gros Louis said.\n"My daughter graduated with an Italian and art history major," he said. "She thought nobody would want to hire her, but she had plenty of offers."\nMark Kaplan, chair of the philosophy department, said a liberal arts degree can prepare students for almost any job. He said the skills learned, such as how to study, write well and work with others, are all desirable in the workplace.\nKaplan said most students understand the applications that their liberal arts degree will have for them. In his department, which has experienced a record number of majors, many students use their experiences in philosophy to help them in law school.\n"If you are going into law, that's what you do," he said. "You are paid to use logic. Not so much to find the truth all the time, but to help your client. I don't think any training is as good as philosophy for law school."\nGros Louis said many students and employers prefer IU's Liberal Arts and Management Program, run by history professor James Madison, to the traditional business degree. He said its growing popularity is a sign of the value of well-roundedness in the workplace.\nAnother way for students to find uses for their major is through specialized courses, Gros Louis said. Many departments, such as history, offer classes on what students can do with their major, he said.\nStill, despite the value of a liberal arts education, it doesn't change the bottom line that life sciences is a hot commodity for lobbying the Statehouse for funding.\nMacIntyre said IU maintains a strong commitment to liberal arts but did admit, "We are changing our direction to serve some of what the state wants."\nGros Louis said life sciences is the best way to get money from the Indiana Legislature, but said it doesn't mean liberal arts will suffer.\n"Life sciences is a greater lobbying strategy, but if the state gives us more money for life sciences, then we also have more money for the arts," he said.\nForbes echoed those sentiments. He said IU is responsive to the needs of the state, but the University doesn't build its strategy strictly around funding.\n"We cannot judge our priorities just by how much we get from the state," he said. "I think the biggest thing that shows that is the record ($40.6 million) gift we received for the music school (last semester)"