Article in Liberal Education , Spring 2007 "Reclaiming the
Distinctiveness of American Higher Education" William G. Durden
is president of Dickinson College. In the face of rising global
competition and the heightened call for accountability issued by
the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education,
educators across the country are being called upon—once again—to
demonstrate the validity of a liberal education. We are asked
repeatedly if our approach to undergraduate education will
prepare students to meet the challenges of the twenty-first
century, if it is capable of adapting to rapidly changing times.
As we seek to respond to these concerns and evaluate the
effectiveness of our own institutions, I suggest that we look
for guidance to those enlightened revolutionaries who
established not only our democracy, but also an American
approach to liberal education that was distinctive for its
emphasis on pragmatism delivered through an integrated,
comprehensive student experience. Our founding fathers i