These programs have taken on a new dimension, as an office of cross-cultural and international studies has been established to oversee programmatic aspects of this essential area of learning. Tomorrow's citizens will be faced with moral and ethical dilemmas, both those common to the general human experience as well as those created by an ever-changing world. Through reading the literature of a people in crisis, examining the politics or psychology of conflict, designing an experiment to better understand an issue, or performing a work with emotional impact, students gain not only an academic understanding of their world, but also an opportunity to see the world of others. It is through such understanding that we develop the empathy to participate in solving problems with others while integrating our knowledge with our personal beliefs. Allowing tomorrow's citizens to experience the world of others provides them with vicarious practice for making life's decisions, thus enhancing their development of personal convictions.
Personal convictions paired with civic imagination is the goal of liberal learning.
General education in the liberal arts tradition has always extended its focus beyond the confines of the campus and the college years. The expanded paradigm increases our emphasis on preparing students to be life-long learners, to be active and successful in careers and communities, to be individuals who make positive contributions to the world around them. The increased emphasis on theory and practice encourages students to be participatory learners and leaders throughout their lives. The expanded paradigm should serve our students well even when they first leave the College. They should be better prepared for graduate and professional study and more highly prized by the world of business.