I
recently returned to my undergraduate alma mater for my five-year reunion. St. Lawrence University (SLU) is a small
liberal arts college nestled in the river valley between the Adirondack Mountains
and the St. Lawrence River in Northern New York State. New York State covers a huge geographical
area, and in this case, “northern” does not mean just north of New York City,
or even near Syracuse or Rochester. The
university, located in Canton NY, is at the tippy-top of the state, about a
half hour drive from Canada.
The
village of Canton is small, less than 7,000 people, and sports a quintessential
small town main street. SLU has a population
of roughly 2,400 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students, causing an
annual boom and bust in the town’s population.
The university fosters a strong sense of culture among the students,
which results in a robust alumni network of approximately 33,000 alums.
Technically,
this was my four-year reunion, but SLU invites class years in clusters; this
was the first reunion for the classes of ’08, ’09, and ’10. Additionally, graduates from those class
years going back in five-year increments, or affinity years, are also
invited. Personally, I’m hoping to one
day bump into actor Viggo Mortensen at reunion, since we share affinity
years. All alumni are welcome at any
reunion however, and 2014 hosted the largest reunion to date, with over 1200
alumni and guests. The weekend was full
of walks down memory lane, hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones,
catching up and filling each other in on our latest adventures, and generally
making happy fools of ourselves while reinforcing those aspects that create
such a strong St. Lawrence culture, i.e. hockey, harsh winters, and Mikey’s
Specials from Sergi’s pizzeria.
If
my enthusiastic attendance at reunion didn’t drop the hint, I’m very pleased
with my undergraduate education, and I feel a strong attachment to my alma
mater. But, why St. Lawrence
University? And for that matter, why
college?
I
always knew that I would attend college, and like many American high school
students, worked very hard in my coursework and extracurricular activities to
make sure I stood out on college applications.
Also like many other high schoolers, I began receiving a great number of
emails and physical mailings from colleges around the country, all explaining
why their institution was the best choice.
I quickly figured out that a four-year liberal arts education, also
known as the arts and sciences, would be the best fit, since I did not have a
strong drive for one subject over another.
I wanted to learn EVERYTHING, and a liberal arts program would give me
that flexibility. Finally, SLU was able
to offer me the best financial aid package, and with an annual price tag of
around $42,000 when I started (SLU now annually costs around $60,000),
financial aid was a major consideration.
There
are a couple important points to unpack here around the question of the value
of a liberal arts education. One brochure
I received during the fevered college search raised a question that always
stuck in my mind, and that I think captures the essence of liberal arts
beautifully: “Who do you want to be? A
Fox or a Hedgehog?” In their
description, foxes and hedgehogs are different but complementary, and both very
important. A hedgehog is someone who has
a narrower focus and is an expert in their discipline, or in other words is
someone who does only one thing but does it very, very well. A fox on the other hand is someone who has
some knowledge of and experience in many different things, or who is a jack of
all trades, master of none. The hedgehog
is a specialist while the fox is mutable to many different situations.
A
liberal arts education gives students this flexibility to try different
academic disciplines and gain a broad range of skills and perspectives,
allowing them to become foxes. Or,
students can discover and pursue their passion, becoming hedgehogs. I certainly did not know what I wanted to do
after college, and was glad to have this space to learn and grow. Giving students a broad range of inquiry has
other benefits, as well. By taking
courses they might not have otherwise chosen, students are introduced to
diverse ways of thinking and being in the world. By not pigeon-holing them on a set academic
track, students can follow independent paths of inquiry. Also, a mix of coursework provides a healthy
balance. For instance, I chose to double
major in Sociology and Performance and Communication Arts (PCA – what other
universities call Speech & Theatre).
This blend stimulated both my left brain and right brain with
alternating high-concept academics and hands-on creativity. To those parents who are shuddering at the
thought, yes, your students CAN make something of themselves with a Theatre
degree.
One
of the ultimate goals of liberal arts education is to inspire lifelong learning
in its graduates. This sort of
inquisitive, open-minded, critical, balanced citizen is a vital part of
society. Increasingly however, the
liberal arts education is falling out of favor and receiving less public
funding, for a number of different reasons.
A degree from a four-year liberal arts institution does not lead to a
job in the same way that a degree from, for example, a technical college may. In the recent push toward science,
technology, and mathematics to the exclusion of the arts and humanities, we are
closing off opportunities for students to grow and learn creatively, and become
critical thinkers. More than that, by
encouraging students to only think like hedgehogs, the foxes among them will
not reach their full potential.
There
are economic realities, of course, and being set up for a ready job upon
graduation is no small thing to ignore.
As someone who graduated in the worst of the repercussions from the
recession, believe me when I say I understand this consideration. Much has been written about the education
debate, and on many more angles than I’ve had space to explore here. The Morrill Memorial Library provides access
to the Opposing Viewpoints database, which is a great resource for finding
valuable, well-researched arguments on hot topics. You can find this database in the Reference
and Research section of our website. For
physical books about the liberal arts debate, educational opportunities, and
how to fund that education, browse through the 300s section at the library,
paying close attention to the books with call numbers beginning 331 and 378. Stop by the reference desk for help finding
something specific.
Another
undeniable benefit of a four-year liberal arts education is the networking
opportunities and friendships it inspires.
I will always be part of the St. Lawrence community, and that’s a strong
network to have. I am a Laurentian, a
Saint, a Guildie, an Advocate, a Techie – for life. And I can’t wait for our next reunion.
