Liberal arts colleges represent a tiny portion of the higher education market—no more than two percent of enrollees. Yet they produce a stunningly large percentage of America’s leaders in virtually every field of endeavor. A former college president trained in law and economics, Victor E. Ferrall, Jr., shows how a spiraling demand for career-related education has pressured liberal arts colleges to become vocational, distorting their mission and core values. The relentless competition among them to attract the “best” students has driven down tuition revenues while driving up operating expenses. Ferrall makes a spirited case for the unique benefits of the education liberal arts colleges offer to students and to the nation. He urges liberal arts colleges to stop going it alone and instead band together to promote their mission and ensure their future. Liberal Arts at the Brink is published by Harvard University Press.

The former president of the University of Chicago, Hanna Gray, will comment, and a discussion with the audience will follow.

Victor E. Ferrall, Jr. is President Emeritus of Beloit College. Hanna Gray is President Emerita and Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of History at the University of Chicago.

This event is co-sponsored by the Newberry Library’s A.C. McClurg Bookstore.