THE VALUE OF A LIBERAL EDUCATION

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers has historically fought for the availability of an affordable, comprehensive liberal education for all citizens; and

WHEREAS, the Association of American Colleges and Universities has issued a call to the presidents of institutions of higher education to insure that every college student has the opportunity to experience the full benefits of a liberal education; and

WHEREAS, chief among these benefits is the Jeffersonian recognition that democracy depends for its vitality on the education of its citizenry; and

WHEREAS, for the first time in our own or any nation's history the great majority of Americans not only desire higher education for themselves and their children but actually enroll in some form of postsecondary education; and

WHEREAS, liberal education comes in many shapes and forms in the contemporary academy, but in every one of those forms, its aims include developing intellectual and ethical judgment, expanding cultural, societal and scientific horizons, cultivating democratic and global knowledge and engagement, and preparation for work in a dynamic and rapidly evolving economy; and

WHEREAS, public attention has focused mainly on the last of these aims, and both public policy and popular culture have encouraged students to view the curriculum as work force preparation exclusively; and

WHEREAS, this trend has been reinforced by describing students as customers; and

WHEREAS, liberal education is not confined to a particular field of study, and what does matter in liberal education is substantial academic content, rigorous methodology, and an active engagement with societal, ethical and practical implications of our learning that is equally relevant to all forms of higher education and to all students:

RESOLVED, that the AFT support the following goals:

• to help all of its constituents understand the purposes and benefits of liberal education;
• to take steps to ensure that its own educational programs address all the aims of liberal education, including intellectual and ethical development, knowledge of science, culture and society, and preparations for all the dimensions of a full life;
• to examine in dialogues with campuses and neighboring communities ways of strengthening the quality of liberal education from school through college so that every student should graduate strongly prepared for the complexities and challenges of our independent world; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT endorse the Association of American Colleges and Universities presidents' campaign for the advancement of liberal learning.