ABSTRACT
Liberal education's next-generation challenges around economics, value, and community are not categorically new. The arguments in support of liberal arts education in the United States were first mustered by the nation's founders who believed deeply in the value of an educated citizenry for both personal well-being and an enlightened democracy. Wherever liberal education is practiced, whether on the colonial-spired campus, at an honors college, or even mediated by a technological interface, it generally carries some consistent economic baggage stemming from its aims and pedagogy. Liberal education requires substantial personal interaction, translating into low student/faculty ratios and small groups learning together. There is no indication that family income will keep pace with liberal education's cost structure on its own. The ability to collaborate with diverse teams in a society or globally is sorely needed today and among the most enduring benefits of a liberal education.
