The new program combines a traditional humanities education with career preparation and is modeled on a similar program pioneered by the University of Arizona.
Central Michigan University has a new program offering: the public and applied liberal arts program. The new program is designed to combine the traditional humanities courses with career preparation to help students become ready for the workforce upon completing the program. Students can pursue an entrepreneurship track within the program; other partnerships within the program include those with Public Health, Fashion Innovation and Human-Centered Design, Resilient Communities, and Game Design Thinking. The program was designed after a similar and successful program at the University of Arizona.
According to an article on Central Michigan University's website, Christi Brookes, who serves as the assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and as a faculty member in the department of history, world languages, and cultures, was quoted as saying of the new program, "The idea is that you take all the powerful stuff, the essential skills like critical thinking, communication, deep cultural understanding and combine them with an applied field. With the College of Business already, there's such a great curricular and co-curricular experience with the new venture competition and all the resources that CBA brings to bear for all of their students. This program will help a humanities or social sciences, liberal arts student tap into those. There is some recognition that this is the way that the humanities and colleges of liberal arts need to head. Students will be able to design a path that makes sense for something that they in a way that uses their skills to the most.”
The program is designed to bring about collaboration from different departments around the university, including with the College of Business Administration for the entrepreneurship track. Students who pursue this track within the program will be required to participate in the New Venture Competition to create or participate in projects designed by students within the College of Business. Other partnerships within the university include those with Public Health, Fashion Innovation and Human-Centered Design, Resilient Communities, and Game Design Thinking. By giving students the opportunity to pursue specific tracks within the program, they will get the best of both worlds: a traditional humanities education with career-specific instruction.
Speaking of the collaborative nature of the program, Gregory Smith, a faculty member in the department of history, world languages, and cultures, said, "We're building closer ties between colleges and getting students into and faculty out of our own buildings to see the way people do things in other places. We've all been talking about this for a long time, but we think this is a chance where it's actually going to happen this time."
The university intends to expand the program in the future, creating more interdepartmental partnerships that will result in even more dedicated tracks for students to pursue within the program.
For more information about Central Michigan University, visit the school’s website.