Sanford J. Ungar's The New Liberal Arts

American historian, Russell Kirk once said, “True education is meant to develop the individual human being, the person, rather than to serve the state.” A liberal arts education focuses on developing students into productive citizens by preparing them for future careers, while building their character. Seen as a new approach for further insight and critical thinking, a liberal arts education provides students with a broader worldview for general understanding and problem solving. In his article, “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar combats common liberal arts misperceptions that prevent future students from attaining a liberal arts degree. Many students believe a liberal arts education is irrelevant; thus, leaving students to futilely

It does not focus on the basic elements of knowledge, but rather encompasses the broader sense of knowledge. Liberal arts, described as “a conservative approach to preparation for life,” (Ungar, 2017, p. 230) prepares students for life by weighing all knowledge as equal and beneficial. Furthermore, it prepares students for the future careers they desire to pursue. Contrary to the belief that liberal arts are useless in the job field, employers desire employees with an liberal arts degree; because employers place high value on innovative employees, who can think critically within the job field. Employers recognize that a liberal arts education equips individuals to communicate effectively and to analyze various problems. Ungar says, “What seemed a radical idea in business education 10 years or so ago- that critical and creative thinking is as “relevant” as finance or accounting- is now commonplace.” (Ungar, 2017, p. 228) The work industry constantly adapts to the world, so, it is crucial to have employees equipped with the skills to understand those changes not only from a stateside perspective, but also from a foreign perspective. Once employers do this, they can apply these changes to their job force. Ideas, that once seemed impossible, now seem ordinary in modern time. Liberal arts education equips students to understand

Liberal arts teach students how to adapt to the constant change seen in their surroundings. This idea correlates with the broad-based knowledge learned from the liberal arts. Ungar says,“It is far wiser for students to prepare for change- and the multiple careers they are likely to have- than to search for a single job track that might one day become a dead end.” (Ungar, 2017, p. 227) Because of the broad-based knowledge obtained from a liberal arts education, students are equipped to adapt to changes. Instead of having limited knowledge of a certain subject, they can have an expansion of knowledge. The liberal arts work in correlation with the STEM field. This way, students not only know the core subjects, but also the extracurricular subjects as well. “The liberal arts encompass the broadest possible range of disciplines in the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences.” (Ungar, 2017, p. 229) Liberal arts and the core curriculum work in harmony to equip a student for success. Liberal arts do not focus on the STEM fields, rather they broaden the students’ minds for careers that do not yet exist. Thus, Liberal arts promote widespread thinking within schools and companies, while the STEM fields provides the basis for the