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Harvard University Press
April 2011
On Sale: April 14, 2011
304 pages
ISBN: 0674049721
EAN: 9780674049727
Kindle: B004Z0ZRKY
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
Liberal arts colleges represent a tiny portion of the higher education marketβno more than 2 percent of enrollees. Yet they produce a stunningly large percentage of Americaβs leaders in virtually every field of endeavor. The educational experience they offerβsmall classes led by professors devoted to teaching and mentoring, in a community dedicated to learningβhas been a uniquely American higher education ideal. Liberal Arts at the Brink is a wake-up call for everyone who values liberal arts education. A former college president trained in law and economics, Ferrall 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 βbestβ students has driven down tuition revenues while driving up operating expenses to levels the colleges cannot cover. The weakest are being forced to sell out to vocational for-profit universities or close their doors. The handful of wealthy elite colleges risk becoming mere dispensers of employment and professional school credentials. The rest face the prospect of moving away from liberal arts and toward vocational education in order to survive. Writing in a personable, witty style, Ferrall tackles the host of threats and challenges liberal arts colleges now confront. Despite these daunting realities, he makes a spirited case for the unique benefits of the education they offerβto students and the nation. He urges liberal arts colleges to stop going it alone and instead band together to promote their mission and ensure their future.
 Media BuzzDiane Rehm Show - NPR - March 19, 2015
Marketplace - PRI - March 4, 2015
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