Intellectual formation, skills for life, or both?

I enjoyed this excellent piece by Jeff Selingo with The Chronicle of Higher Education about the purposes of an undergraduate education for today’s youth. There are different types of colleges and universities, of course, and their various emphases make them more or less attractive to students on the continuum that runs from skills and immediate job readiness to long-lasting intellectual formation.

I think, for example, that liberal arts colleges need to do both—help students develop knowledge, modes of thought, communication skills and intellectual flexibility that will grow over a lifetime and will also empower them to compete for opportunities for work or further education right away. My own sense is that the great liberal arts colleges do indeed make and keep both commitments.

But, there’s another dimension to the value of a college education that I think is worth inserting alongside the paradigm Jeff discusses so well in his article. Some colleges and universities also focus on the development of the whole person—and thus provide educational and learning experiences related to, but different from, what’s on the job readiness-intellectual formation arc.

As an educator, I know that 18-22 year-olds benefit tremendously from developing self-knowledge, emotional intelligence, the ability to seek and get help, cross-cultural awareness, experiential learning, leadership opportunities, spiritual growth, real-world experiences, the ability to create living communities based on respect and consideration, creative expression, and other forms of holistic growth—all of which are part of the long-term resource base of being a self-actualized, independent, and free adult who can experience joy, cope with adversity, relate to others, and be an active and informed citizen. And this form of learning together with intellectual formation transcends specific job training and prepares for long-term career and life success.

I suspect that such holistic learning and growth occurs best in settings where students are approached, known, and educated as individuals. Students thrive—academically and personally—when they can build and sustain long-term, authentic relationships with their mentors.

Of course, not everyone wants or values that kind of learning—but the students I’ve taught and mentored at Franklin & Marshall and Georgetown sure do.