02-08-2025
The Future of Liberal Arts Education
To the Editor:
Re 'The Liberal Arts Can Thrive,' by Jennifer Frey (Opinion guest essay, July 18):
The administrative decisions Dr. Frey recounts at her former institution are unfortunate and shortsighted but not universal. Students searching for educational rigor, deep academic engagement and intellectual life in a community are welcomed and celebrated at our nation's small liberal arts colleges.
Counter to stereotype, such colleges are committed to educating students across the income spectrum, offering financial aid that often makes them more affordable than public universities.
My own path to a college presidency started at a small liberal arts college, with my education made possible by leaders who, even in times of economic challenge or uncertainty, continued to invest in a model proven to change life trajectories.
Wendy CadgeBryn Mawr, writer is the president of Bryn Mawr College.
To the Editor:
Jennifer Frey's commentary about the University of Tulsa's Honors College exemplifies troubling academic myopia: allowing personal investment to eclipse rigorous analysis.
Her article describes a 'blossoming' honors college but omits any basic effectiveness analysis. What were the actual enrollment numbers? How many National Merit Scholars were required to enroll? How many withdrew? How big a staff did this require?
More important, Dr. Frey's characterization of the current administration as one that doesn't value liberal arts is wrong. The board merely took necessary steps to correct the university's course. The University of Tulsa's current provost is a proven defender of liberal arts, and the school is ensuring that liberal education is available to all students.
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