As the first signs of spring begin to appear on The Hill, we are poised to begin a new journey that will lead William Jewell College toward new levels of prominence and distinction among America’s colleges. This journey will bring to our students and faculty a valuable learning environment that is thoughtfully and intentionally built upon the essential benefits of liberal education enhanced by rigorous, discipline-focused academic and co-curricular challenges that actively engage the demands of a very competitive and ever-changing global society.

An important new report, “College Learning for the New Global Century,” conducted by the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education & America’s Promise, was published in January 2007 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. It is extremely relevant to the work we have undertaken at Jewell as part of our strategic planning process. The report includes some of the best thinking of America’s corporate CEOs, researchers, political and education leaders. Two statements from that report seem particularly germane to our work:

•           In an economy fueled by innovation, the capabilities developed through a
            liberal education have become America’s most valuable economic asset.

•           The world in which today’s students will make choices and compose lives is one
            of disruption rather than certainty, and of interdependence rather than insularity.

One poll that was conducted as part of the report revealed that 69% of employers and 64% of recent graduates said it was “very important” for four-year colleges to provide “both a broad knowledge in a variety of areas of study and more in-depth knowledge in a specific major or area of interest.”  George C. Nolen, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation, New York, provided the report with a good practical example of how valuable this kind of education is: “To be successful in global companies like Siemens, business managers must be able to navigate local market differences, seek opportunities for collaboration between businesses, and promote cooperation across functions. A solid foundation in the liberal arts and sciences is necessary for those who want to be corporate leaders.”

As described in the summer 2006 issue of Achieve, members of the Jewell community have been collaborating for the past year and a half on a new strategic plan that will guide the College’s growth and direction for the next 15-20 years. While the final draft will not be ready until September, it is clear that the research, thinking and conversations that are accompanying this process are extremely well-tuned to the national and international conversations about the needs and values that will shape our communities, our businesses and the global society in the 21st Century.

I feel confident that William Jewell College is well positioned to help set the course for a newly integrated liberal education that actively engages the realities and issues challenging our contemporary economic, political and social institutions. We bring to this work a long tradition of academic excellence, achievement and focus on leadership development; we are supported in this work by the close student-professor interaction at Jewell and our rigorous, innovative and evolving curriculum; and we are invigorated in our work by our nationally recognized student development program that provides a residential campus community with a huge variety of extracurricular, social and service opportunities. As we begin the first steps toward the fulfillment of our strategic goals, Jewell could hardly be in a better position to become a national model for a new category of contemporary liberal education that the business world and the global community clearly require for a secure and prosperous future.