Business and the Liberal Arts

Former CEO Edgar Bronfman argues that the best preparation for a business career lies in the Liberal Arts.

My advice, however, is simple, but well-considered: Get a liberal arts degree. In my experience, a liberal arts degree is the most important factor in forming individuals into interesting and interested people who can determine their own paths through the future.

But people take a more practical approach to education these days, stressing the acquisition of skills that readily translate into employment. Can’t we become interesting and well rounded after we have the security of paycheck? Of course, you can always study the Liberal Arts in college or on your own, but that misses the point. Bronfman argues not that the Liberal Arts are a luxury item in the business world, but that they are standard equipment essential to success:

We must remember, however, that what is seen as cutting-edge practical or technological knowledge at the moment is ever-evolving. What is seen as the most innovative thinking today will likely be seen as passé in ten years. Critical to remaining adaptable to those changes is to have developed a mind that has a life beyond work and to track the changes of human progress, by having learned how much we have changed in the past.

Chris Perrin initially flagged this article published in Inside Higher Ed. Read the rest.