Liberal arts colleges are kosher although they are having a tough time proving it, reports the StarTribune."In tough times, liberal arts colleges defend their value," recounts the efforts at St. Olaf's in Northfield MN:
...St. Olaf has transformed its career center, called the Center for Experiential Learning. "I don't know why that name was selected," Anderson quipped, "but I'm guessing it was to avoid using the word 'career.'"It's getting increasingly harder for a liberal arts college to keep its kosher reputation in a world of increasingly conservative values.
Once on the fringes of campus, the center now shares a bright, newly renovated building with the president's office. It's a key stop on campus tours and a regular sight along students' routes. Since the move, the center has seen a 69 percent increase in traffic.
Soon, it will get a new name: the Center for Vocation and Career. If St. Olaf once eschewed the word, now it's shouting it from the hilltop.
Like other schools, St. Olaf has touted alums with cool jobs in its publications and released an employment figure or two. But soon, a prospective student will be able to browse a database: What share of grads with English degrees have jobs? What are they earning?
In May, the college will begin publishing employment and salary data for the class of 2011, building on it with every class. A spokeswoman for the Council of Independent Colleges said its president and researcher had never heard of a nonprofit, private college making such data public....
Maybe they can change the label to "conservative arts" - yeah that sounds about right.
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