Liberal Education and America's Promise

UW-Madison participates in the Association of American Colleges and Universities' national project, Liberal Education and America's Promise. Wisconsin - and the University of Wisconsin System, specifically - was the pilot state for this project, which now has institutions all across the nation participating.

This ten-year long initiative seeks to identify and clarify the the goals and learning outcomes essential for all college students in the 21st century if they are to engage successfully with rapidly changing global economies and interdependencies. This project reaches out to students in technical and professional programs, not just those in the humanities and social sciences, and recognizes the need for scientific and quantitative literacy for students who are not pursuing technical or science majors. In so reaching across disciplines in support of this range of technical and intellectual skills, this initiative builds upon the foundation laid in a broad program of general education.

Studies conducted by the AAC&U found that employers and recent college graduates recognize the importance of interdisciplinary and flexible learning as key to success in the new global century. The traditional notion of liberal education—an elite curriculum for a small group that could afford liberal arts education for its own sake—is outmoded. Today, all students need to have the experiences and develop the skills inherent in liberal education if they are to succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

The LEAP Project on the UW-Madison campus has begun with efforts to improve, internally, our ability to communicate effectively and to work more intentionality to promote the goals of a broad-based, liberal education. We hope to help each other (faculty, staff, and students) become more articulate about the role of this philosophy of education, to foster “ah-ha moments” in which our colleagues recognize the value of discussing the goals and outcomes of liberal education in order that our students, their parents, and others across Wisconsin recognize its value. Furthermore, by being articulate and intentional with our students in discussing liberal education is empowering for students because they will be better able to gauge their own development and articulate their own skills and talents as they prepare for life beyond the university.

UW-Madison LEAP Activities

UW-Madison LEAP liaisons:

• Professor Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor
  Department of German
  jvtaylor@wisc.edu
  
• Associate Dean Nancy Westphal-Johnson
  Undergraduate Education and Academic Administration
  College of Letters and Science
  westphal@ls.admin.wisc.edu

Advising Summit: March 15, 2007. “Liberal Education for a Lifetime: What You and Your Students Need to Know About Liberal Education”

• Keynote speaker: Dr. Debra Humphreys, Vice President for Communications & Public Affairs, Association of American Colleges and Universities.
  • Missed the talk? Download the file here.

• Sessions
  • “Crafting Our Message”: Follow-up with Debra Humphreys
  • “Our First Contacts with Students: Integrating Our Messages”
  • “Integrative Experiences: International Education, Service Learning and Internships”
  • “How Do We Know Our Advising is Effective: Accountability and Advising”
  • “Student Panel: How We Come to Our Understandings and Knowledge of the Importance of Liberal Education”
  • “Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities: Liberal Education’s Three-Legged Stool”

LEAP Spotting: Where do we see Liberal Education?

• University General Education:
  The purpose of the General Education requirements is to ensure that every graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education that establishes the foundations for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in life-long learning in a continually changing world. For this reason, these core requirements provide for breadth across the humanities and arts, social studies, biological sciences and physical sciences; competence in communication, critical thinking and analytical skills appropriate for a university-educated person; and investigation of the issues raised by living in a culturally diverse society.
  
• UW System Scholarship Competition - Congratulations to UW-Madison's Rebecca Ford, for her winning essay, “Interrogating Rajasthan:  Poverty in the Developing World and the Liberal Arts.”
  
• College of Letters and Science "Goals of a Liberal Education"
  
• University Housing: Chadbourne Residential College, "What is a Liberal Arts Education?"
  
• Professor William Cronon - "Only Connect"
  
• Our First-Year Experience: "College Learning in the Twenty-first Century: Intentional Teaching and Learning"
  
• First-Year Learning Goals
  
• Campus-wide Audit of Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes

Please let us know about your LEAP-related activities!

We know that many people at all levels across the UW-Madison campus engage in activities that promote the goals of liberal education. We're always interested in hearing what you do. Please send information to webmasterls@ls.admin.wisc.edu, or contact Professor Vanderwal-Taylor (jvtaylor@wisc.edu) or Associate Dean Nancy Westphal-Johnson (westphal@ls.admin.wisc.edu).

If you'd like to become an planning partner to help promote LEAP, please contact:

Nancy Westphal-Johnson
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Chair, University General Education Committee
westphal@ls.admin.wisc.edu