North Carolina’s men’s basketball team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament and the Tar Heel women’s team was bounced from postseason play, but UNC spirit was strong when local Rotarians welcomed a university official giving an assist to liberal arts education.
The value of a four-year college degree in general, and especially those in the liberal arts, has come into question in recent years.
And Jim White, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, readily acknowledged that Tuesday when addressing Rotary Club of Mount Airy members at Cross Creek Country Club.
This has been punctuated with titles of reports such as “The Evils of a Liberal Arts Education” and “The Liberal Arts May Not Survive the 21st Century.”
“All of those are premature,” said White, who in defending the relevance of such studies even went so far as to suggest these are needed now more than ever.
“It is an education that fundamentally opens doors,” the visiting university official said of a broad base of subject matter one is exposed to, including history, literature, writing, sociology, philosophy and more. These span the basic course areas of natural and social sciences, arts and the humanities.
White also shot down the notion that liberal arts students can’t expect to land decent-paying jobs after graduation, saying the instruction they receive is tailor-made to a wide range of employment opportunities that have become part of today’s economy.
In looking ahead, he stressed that “we need a liberal arts education for all of these job changes,” in order “to help us adapt to these new jobs that are coming down the road.”
This is due to technology expanding at a pace and scope never before experienced in human history, according to White, who was appointed dean of UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences last May.
Positions he listed include sustainability manager, cloud architect, social media influencer, podcast producer, online dating profiler, virtual reality developer, machine learning engineer and telemedicine provider.
“All of these are jobs than didn’t exist 10 years ago,” White said. “New jobs are being created all the time.”
One need look no further than Google to see the value of the studies White mentioned.
“Google has hired as many liberal arts majors as it has design engineers,” he said of one technology company example. Google also has declared that the much-ballyhooed STEM education (referring to science, technology, engineering and math) don’t represent the only (or even the most-valuable) 21st-century skills needed, according to information from White.
The key is the versatility liberal arts students are equipped with through a foundation of knowledge the UNC dean says can be applied to many fields — the ability to communicate and work well with people being two important traits.
And it is not just about making money, but the role a liberal arts education can play in American life as a whole, White added.
In ancient Greece, the term “liberalis ars” (“free” plus “art”) described the study of skills necessary for the functioning of democracy, based on information provided by White. These encompassed grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music theory.
The liberal arts education theoretically supplies graduates with the critical-thinking, data-literacy and other skills needed to function as citizens.
Another point White made Tuesday is that whatever students do after high school — whether attending a trade school or pursuing other alternatives besides the traditional college education — they must go beyond what is learned in elementary and high school grades.
His message to parents:
“Please tell your kids, 12 years is not enough.”
Carolina flavor abounds
Tuesday’s visit by the University of North Carolina official wasn’t just about the fine points of the academic world.
There was an ample display of both Carolina blue and Mayberry enthusiasm.
Local students who have been accepted for admission at UNC were in attendance at the meeting, and many Rotary members wore light blue in honor of the school’s color scheme.
Even the food got into the act, including cookies adorned with Carolina blue icing and napkins and other accessories containing the UNC logo.
Meanwhile, White and his wife Kris were transported to the country club in a Mayberry replica squad car and for tours of attractions such as the granite quarry. During the meeting, he was presented with a badge reminiscent of the fictional town which he pinned on his coat and wore proudly.
Local governmental and chamber of commerce officials also showered White with gifts along with other items given by Rotary member Carol Burke. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who organized White’s visit.
Burke, who introduced him to the crowd and offered opening remarks, saw fit to mention UNC’s most-famous alumnus from Mount Airy (Class of 1949):
“We all know the spirit of Andy Griffith is with us always,” she said.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com