The purpose of this study was to explore the articulated experiences of natural science majors who were participating in a liberal arts living-learning community. Using the American Association of College and University's (2002) report, Greater Expectations as an organizing framework, this study sought to determine how - if at all - students in this learning community were encountering the organizational educational principles consistent with classical and contemporary liberal education. The study was a qualitative inquiry that examined students' precollege experiences and beliefs, their current perceptions on their academic experiences, and student reflections on the meaning of these experiences. The data collected and analyzed in the completion of this study consisted of a series of 19 individual interviews with students enrolled in both a natural science major and in a living- learning community (LLC). Analysis of the interview data led the researcher to identify four themes: (a) Students attributed intellectual growth to experiences in both the major and the LLC, and that the science curriculum was in some ways separated from the liberal arts curriculum; (b) Students experienced and defined diversity in meaningful ways; (c) Physical place and social space of the LLC contributed significantly to the program; and (d) Students reflected learning experiences and outcomes consistent with both classical and contemporary liberal educational environments. Ultimately, the students in this study viewed their participation in the LLC as a meaningful supplement to the science major. Further analysis of the findings, as well as conclusions and recommendations for both policy and practice, are discussed in the final chapter of the study.

CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria argues for a renewed commitment to the world’s most valuable educational tradition. The liberal arts are under attack. The governors of Florida, Texas, and North Carolina have all pledged that they will not spend taxpayer money subsidizing the liberal arts, and they seem to have an unlikely ally in President Obama. While at a General Electric plant in early 2014, Obama remarked, "I promise you, folks can make a lot more, potentially, with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree." These messages are hitting home: majors like English and history, once very popular and highly respected, are in steep decline. "I get it," writes Fareed Zakaria, recalling the atmosphere in India where he grew up, which was even more obsessed with getting a skills-based education. However, the CNN host and best-selling author explains why this widely held view is mistaken and shortsighted. Zakaria eloquently expounds on the virtues of a liberal arts education—how to write clearly, how to express yourself convincingly, and how to think analytically. He turns our leaders' vocational argument on its head. American routine manufacturing jobs continue to get automated or outsourced, and specific vocational knowledge is often outdated within a few years. Engineering is a great profession, but key value-added skills you will also need are creativity, lateral thinking, design, communication, storytelling, and, more than anything, the ability to continually learn and enjoy learning—precisely the gifts of a liberal education. Zakaria argues that technology is transforming education, opening up access to the best courses and classes in a vast variety of subjects for millions around the world. We are at the dawn of the greatest expansion of the idea of a liberal education in human history.

Student, parents, and policy makers interested in the "return on investment" of college education tend to place unwarranted emphasis on the choice of undergraduate major, often assuming that a major in a liberal arts field has a negative effect on employment prospects and earnings potential. This new report--which includes data on earnings, employment rates, graduate school earnings bumps, and commonly chosen professions--presents clear evidence to the contrary. It shows not only that the college degree remains a sound investment, especially in these difficult economic times, but also that --as compared to students who major in professional, preprofessional, or STEM fields--liberal arts majors fare very well in terms of both earnings and long-term success.