BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (RNS) As about 300 nervous freshmen listened at orientation, the dean of arts and sciences at Binghamton University made a stirring case for the liberal arts.
“Liberal,” as in “liberating,” he said, setting the mind free, claiming human freedom.
In a complex and volatile world, knowing how to think and to address the unexpected will be critical skills. Single-track thinking and job-oriented skills won’t be enough.
On a practical level, you will change careers several times, Dean Donald Nieman said, and some of those careers aren’t even invented yet. As niche skills become obsolete, students will need to change direction, grasp new information, form new collaborations, cross old boundaries, and keep on learning.
He extolled virtues like curiosity, flexibility, cross-cultural sensitivity, self-confidence, and openness — in other words, being a full and functioning person even as everything changes and unexpected challenges emerge.
Like a wedding homily that catches key players a bit distracted, the dean’s vision probably went over the heads of most students. They were more focused on critical issues of making friends, surviving the academic rigors of the State University of New York system and whether they’d land a dork for a roommate.
But as the father of an incoming freshman — and a veteran of career changes, unexpected outcomes, conflicts with the rigid, and the need for constant reinvention — I thrilled at his words.
They were fresh air in a world where modern know-nothings denounce “intellectuals” as arrogant elitists and partisans denounce flexibility. Rising intolerance fumes at multicultural realities and overbearing institutions work to undermine self-confidence, stifle creativity and discourage exploration.
His words were wise counsel in a global marketplace where skills require constant freshening, jobs vanish overnight, entire fields implode and new fields emerge. Most people won’t be lifelong employees of loyal enterprises but rather freelancers tasked with managing their own careers.
His words were wise counsel, also, in the volatile sea of daily life, where collisions among races, ethnic groups, genders and personal preferences are unrelenting, and even the most basic societal norms are constantly being scrutinized and refashioned.
Some hate this churn and gravitate toward demagogues who turn angst into blame and rage. Some thrive on the churn and see new ways of living and working. All, however, will have to deal with it.
I rejoiced at an academy’s tilt toward flexibility and zest. Living into such a vision isn’t a seamless exercise. The 64-campus SUNY system has become the target of a political tug-of-war in a dysfunctional state government. Culture warriors won’t give a free pass to a school seeking tolerance and excellence.
Old habits die slowly. I was intrigued that upperclassmen serving as orientation advisers introduced themselves by naming their niches — hometown, academic major, dorm — rather than their passions. My son reported back that every minute of their two days was tightly scheduled, leaving little time for personal exploration.
But the vision is right, and over time, vision tends to prevail. I also trust the human spirit. We aren’t made for pigeonholes and rigid conformity. We are made for freedom and change.
After his scripted day, my son took a midnight walk around campus, watched deer graze, wrote in his journal, and marveled at the beauty. A promising start to a four-year adventure.
(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus” and founder of the Church Wellness Project. His website is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com. Follow Tom on Twitter @tomehrich.)