Liberal arts prepare students for a changing world

Every spring, I shake 1,200 hands as our students take their final steps as Loyola University Maryland students. By the time they graduate, most of them know what immediately awaits them in the next chapter of their lives.

In this fast-paced, ever-evolving world, however, those new graduates may not know what they will be doing professionally in a few short years, never mind in a decade or two. After all, many of the jobs that exist today won’t be needed tomorrow. And many of the jobs that will be needed tomorrow are positions we can’t imagine today.

Still, our graduates can feel confident that they are ready even for those uncreated jobs for a single reason: the liberal arts education they have received. Because the best education doesn’t train students for that first job; it educates them for every possibility life will present in the future.

That’s the value of the liberal arts. The liberal arts give students the opportunity to learn critical thinking skills, become erudite speakers and writers, and gain knowledge in a breadth of topics that will inform whatever path they choose. The liberal arts also introduce students to deeply personal and social questions: What is my destiny? What is my role with regard to others in the world? By asking those fundamental questions, students gain a foundation in ethics that helps them achieve personal and professional success.

Today’s world needs intellectually curious graduates who ask questions — important questions — and who are willing to seek solutions.