Community of Learning: The American College and the Liberal Arts Tradition

In his affirmation of the liberal arts tradition, Williams College president Oakley ( Creation ) stands out refreshingly from the many recent critics of the quality of undergraduate education. Demographics, he maintains, play an important but largely overlooked role in the perceived problems of American colleges and universities; the rapid increase since 1960 in the number of institutions of higher education means that the prestigious research universities and liberal arts colleges no longer ``set the tone for the whole enterprise.''p. 102 In his intense ``appraisal of the present discontents,'' Oakley reaches back to the ancient wellspring of the liberal arts tradition, viewing the evolution of American higher education from this sensible perspective as nonlinear in direction and of enormous influence in all parts of the world. Although he notes that the past can be a burden as well as a blessing, Oakley optimistically believes common ground can be found in the historically tested liberal arts approach. His ironic stance, scholarly credentials and comprehensive outlook give weight to his urging that colleagues ``lean into the prevailing intellectual wind'' and not succumb to negativism and cynicism. ( Sept. )