Lawrence Technological University
A Vision for the College of Arts and Sciences

Liberal arts education in the 21st century: An Urgent need for change

Colleges across the country are re-examining undergraduate liberal arts education for the following reasons.

• In Our Underachieving Colleges, former Harvard President Derek Bok states, "Although most students make gains in many important respects, they improve much less than they should in such important areas as writing, critical thinking, quantitative skills, and moral reasoning."
• Traditional liberal arts education falls short in today's fast-paced, globally competitive economy.  While it prepares students well in general knowledge and intellectual capacities, it fails to provide a career focus. The result: a college-career gap.  Students are spending too many years after graduation searching for "the perfect career path".  This search is what should occur in the undergraduate years.
• According to Thomas Friedman in The World Is Flat, to excel in global competition, graduates must have (1) demonstrable skills in pattern recognition and (2) the ability to solve complex problems.  Complex problems are fundamental to professional situations, but students rarely gain full competency in solving complex problems from standard classroom settings alone.  While traditional liberal arts education does focus on developing these abilities in our students, such education can and must be made more effective by supplementing it with other means of teaching and experiential learning programs.  This is not to suggest that liberal arts education is obsolete.  Far to the contrary, it is critical to ally traditional liberal arts education with more specific career preparation - career preparation that won’t become obsolete when global shifts occur or new technologies appear that leave unprepared, narrowly trained workers (many at senior levels) stranded. 

College Vision

The LTU College of Arts & Sciences vision is to integrate traditional liberal arts education with the needs of the 21st century.  We will do so by enhancing our eleven year old, first-rate core curriculum with a co-curricular program that focuses on career pathway, experiential learning and leadership.  Our vision strongly supports the University's strategic goal:  Leadership through theory and practice.

• Theory:  We offer all LTU graduates a rigorous core curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills.
• Practice:  We have developed a distinctive co-curricular program, "Your LTU Quest ", that includes a strong focus on career path and on leadership, for A&S graduates.  Students will be required to complete co-curricular activities in each of the following three categories:
  1. Internships and undergraduate research that help to define their career paths and enhance their skills in solving complex problems.
  2. Leadership in a global context that develops awareness of cultural diversity
  3. Artistic expression, within a technological environment, that promotes creative and critical thinking
  4. Moral reasoning in contemporary life that prepares students for leadership that is not just effective but heading in the right direction
• LTU's nickname - "Lawrence Tech" - emphasizes on our commitment to emerging technologies.  Therefore, the vision of the College of Arts and Sciences includes the following: 
  1. By 2012, we will be recognized as a leader in the community of "Tech Research Families."  Each "family" will consist of a small group of students, faculty, and industry partners who work closely together on cutting-edge science and technology in order to develop each member's creativity to its full potential. 
  2. By 2017, we will be known for our Centers of Excellence in cutting-edge technologies:
• Biotechnology for Human Health
  A multidisciplinary program combining elements from natural sciences, management, biomedical engineering, mathematics, and computer science, as well as resources from the College of Engineering:
  1. Molecular Diagnostics
  2. Personalized Medicine
  3. Biomedical Informatics
  4. Bio-safety of Nanotechnology
  5. Medical Imaging
  6. Medical Devices
• Robotics Research and Education
• Intelligent Systems / Intelligent Mobility
• Communication
• Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Vision Statement

With its innovative programs and new endeavors, “Your LTU Quest” and “Centers of Excellence,” that focus on career paths for our students, the College of Arts and Sciences will be recognized as the College that prepares leaders for the entire 21st Century.

Needs

“Quest:  Opened Minds Open Doors” inspires students to pursue their passion for career
This innovative new program will distinguish Lawrence Tech as a leader in experiential undergraduate learning.  The program includes:

• Internships that give students hands-on, real-world experience in professional environments to develop their complex problem-solving skills;
• Undergraduate basic and applied research that give students opportunities to publish in professional journals and give presentations at professional conferences;
• Participation in professional organizations' student chapters and international competitions;
• Interdisciplinary projects that emphasize teamwork and collaboration;
• Outreach programs that provide opportunities to contribute to community;
• Career mentoring by distinguished faculty and industry partners;
• Opportunities to participate in LTU’s Artist’s Guild editing Prism and SODA, the university’s Society of Dramatic Arts;
• Opportunities to participate in entrepreneurial activities and to develop the versatility, adaptability and acumen necessary for leaders of the 21st Century.

Among the hallmarks of this initiative are student experiences involving research, travel, creative projects, internships, and various other endeavors.  Many of these will require financial support to lessen the burden on the students and provide the necessary faculty and material support. 

Ongoing outreach programs increase program awareness among potential students
The success of our recently developed Forensic Summer Science Institute and summer technology camps for students and teachers and ever-expanding interest in robotics provide clear evidence that students respond to opportunities to be challenged and inspired.  These special programs increase our visibility and reputation within the community and beyond. 

Arts and Sciences is a leader in helping students reach their educational potential
The Lawrence Tech Scholars program, developed under a special King-Chavez-Parks funded initiative, is one of several College-sponsored programs designed to support educationally disadvantaged students and help them achieve success in today’s knowledge-based economy.   The Honors Program affords high-achieving students the chance to develop their creativity and critical thinking through customized coursework and interdisciplinary experiences.  Continued support for this array of programs ensures that all students will have access to the assistance, mentoring, and encouragement needed to achieve their personal best.  

Enhancing faculty resources
As never before, faculty will be challenged by the expanded use of instructional technologies and web-based course delivery, greater emphasis on scholarship and applied research, and the pursuit of external collaborations and funding.  Establishing endowed faculty positions will bring valuable expertise into our classrooms and laboratories and provide experienced mentors for junior faculty. 

Conclusion

A dominant theme of globalization is adaptation.  Lawrence Technological University is exceptionally well-positioned to reexamine and revitalize the connection between liberal arts education and careers in technological leadership. As an agile, independent university with a proven record of developing interdisciplinary programs, LTU is already moving to adapt to a fluid, innovative international economy.  Our core curriculum has made us a leader in a vital part of a university education: learning how to learn, to lead change – in short, to adapt.  With this vision, with our faculty, and with these resources, we are eagerly moving to open the minds of those who will open tomorrow’s doors.