Reclaiming the timeless relevance of a liberal arts education

What if the most future-ready degree has been with us all along? In an age defined by automation and rapidly changing technologies, it’s easy to question whether a liberal arts education can keep pace. Yet for those of us who live and breathe its interdisciplinary approach, we know it hasn’t lost relevance, it’s only grown more essential.  

A liberal arts education is not just a collection of subjects or a stepping stone to a single career. It’s a framework for living and leading. It teaches us to think creatively, to reimagine problems and to approach the world with curiosity and flexibility. It is a degree in timeless skills: critical thinking, adaptability, problem solving and leadership within a community. 

And for me, its value became clear far from any classroom. On a multi-day expedition in the Boundary Waters, I led a small group of my peers as part of a communication course. We paddled, navigated, problem-solved, and learned how to lead when plans changed. That experience, equal parts challenge and discovery, taught me more about leadership and empathy than any textbook could. That experience taught me that education isn’t about control or mastery, it’s about openness. The liberal arts prompt us to stay curious even when the terrain shifts beneath us. Moments like that shaped how I approach the world and how I guide my students today.  

When I work with my students, many of whom will enter fields we can’t yet imagine, I see how they are immersed in the same liberal arts foundation that shaped me. They’re not just preparing for their first job; they’re preparing for a lifetime of reinvention. As technology advances and AI transforms every sector, the ability to think on their feet across disciplines, to communicate with empathy and to lead with integrity will remain their greatest advantage. Each day I see my students growing not just into future biologists or engineers, but into engaged, multifaceted leaders.

So perhaps, we are not really reclaiming the relevance of the liberal arts. We are finally recognizing what has always been true. The skills liberal arts provide never go out of style because they form the foundation of what it means to be a thoughtful, adaptable and forward-thinking member of society. They teach us to be lifelong learners, to see the world through multiple lenses, and to craft solutions for the challenges that don’t even exist. 

A liberal arts education is, and has always been, a degree in possibility. The most relevant skills one can acquire in an ever-changing world. Its relevance is not a question to be reclaimed, it's a truth to be remembered. When I see my students stepping into leadership, I’m reminded of those early lessons in the Boundary Waters. How learning to paddle together was really about learning to navigate the unknown. That’s what the liberal arts prepare us for.

About the Reclaim Relevance essay series

Reclaim Relevance is Augustana’s new reflective essay series, designed to bring the voices of our educators into the public square. At a time when the value of higher education is under scrutiny, these essays will demonstrate how Augustana’s scholars connect timeless learning to today’s most urgent questions.

If you're an Augustana educator and would like to contribute to the series, you can submit your essay online.

Reclaim Relevance is an initiative of the Futurist Thinking Series, which invites big ideas and bold questions examining the future of education, leadership and human thriving.