Although North Central is a comprehensive liberal arts school, the recent emphasis on the sciences may have some wondering about the state of the humanities.
English Department Chair Martha Bohrer commented that the sciences had been lagging. The attention it is getting now is well deserved. However, the recent increase in sciences at North Central does not mean that a person should not be well rounded in other areas as well.
“Any well educated person should be a reader and not just a writer,” Bohrer said.
North Central President Troy Hammond called humanities in the liberal arts “critical” and believes that a large percentage of statistics show that liberal arts degrees have an impact later in one’s career. Roughly one-third of the Fortune 1000 CEO’s have liberal arts degrees.
What makes the humanities side of liberal arts so valuable? Analysis.
Data from the Association of American Colleges and Universities shows that 75 percent to 81 percent of employers want their employees to be proficient in analytics. The ability to take data and analyze it seems to be important no matter what discipline you are in.
The liberal arts are not just about a specialized skill or area of expertise; these majors and minors also focus on developing good citizens. Bohrer said that through these courses, people are becoming better citizens.
Bohrer said that the analysis involved in English, history and, especially, literature courses, for which attendance has dropped off recently, is important. Other skills developed in these courses include sympathy and reasoning.
Overall, Bohrer said that North Central’s general education requirement “strikes a pretty good balance.” Each of the divisions has two requirements that are compiled to make up the general education requirements. Bohrer said that there is discussion going on about restructuring the academic requirements to place more emphasis on analytical focus in North Central’s curriculum.
“People who advance are those who can write and communicate,” Bohrer said. She explained that many people with these degrees start out as writers and move into management positions.
