Approaching inclusive institutional change.
On the importance of a liberal arts education
“In the liberal arts, we are always learning to learn. That is, it’s not simply about a set of technical knowledge, simply about something that can be contained easily in a script or a book or a set of formulas, but we are devoted to the idea that we must develop a capacity to keep asking new questions. We also believe in the liberal arts that we are educating students to work with very different kinds of evidence, quantitative, qualitative, and to understand how that evidence works to develop new questions and to understand how questions develop over time.” – Michael Elliott
In this episode of the Evidence in Action podcast, cohost Kimberlyn Leary and Michael Elliott, president of Massachusetts’s Amherst College, have a conversation on how different types of evidence can help drive institutional change and nurture inclusivity, the value of a liberal arts education, and the advice he would give students graduating during today’s highly polarized environment.
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CEO/Founder, Partnerships for Strategic Impact? | The ImpactStory? Strategy transforms program evaluation into a first-of-its-kind, straightforward, sustainable data tracking and storytelling for nonprofits and funders.
5 个月I would argue that anytime we ask anyone anything about their opinions or experiences that this is QUALITATIVE data (i.e., data about concepts or ideas) *even* if we ask for this information in survey form. Surveys are just mini, structure, conversations that make it easy for us to summarize responses. It's exactly the same information (but arguable less information) than you'd get in a conversation or from some other expression of opinions and experience (e.g., art or observing behavior). And, you can (if you have the time) quantify information in conversations, art, and from observing behavior. QUANTITATIVE (i.e., data about numbers) are just things we count or measure. # of credentials earned, wages, # of children passing spelling tests, etc. Both are critical in the social sector for understanding the reach of the work (outputs or productivity) and the value of the work (success, impact, or outcomes).
Feminist, grassroots political strategist, federal health policy analyst. Pro-immigrant advocate, pro-union advocate. Voracious reader.
5 个月Urban Institute #On #the #importance #of #a #liberal #arts #education
Social Scientist | Health & Human Services Consultant | Researcher | Writer | Editor | Technical Assistance Provider | Public Speaker | Change Agent | Rebel of Sincerity | INFP
5 个月I have not made it all the way to the end yet, but what I've heard has been filled with great insights and things I didn't know I needed to reconsider. Thanks for these. I ?? UI. My first thought was Seneca says, “But there is only one really liberal study -- that which gives a man his liberty. It is the study of wisdom.”?My second thought was how uppity that sounds and I am about insisting liberal arts is the gold standard and best way to go. For whom exactly? Not all. Also, based on my experiences with my daughter's education (she went from liberal arts grade and middle to a magnet high school with tracks ?? but it gets worse--she was accepted to the ACTING track. ?? All I could think was I'm going to be supporting this kid forever, and she's never going to learn how to right a proper thesis statement! Then I would breathe into a paper bag for a bit). I was a diehard liberal arts fan. Now that my daughter finally graduated from the third college she attended (with a BA in film--better?), I am convinced the best educational path and philosophy depend on which fits each student's specific strengths and areas for growth best, but I am no expert--I'm not certain of the feasibility and potential drawbacks I may be overlooking.
Database Associate at a Cincinnati Nonprofit
5 个月If you have a big inheritance coming, you have the luxury of majoring in liberal arts. Take it from someone who doesn't have a big inheritance coming and chose to major in Sociology.
Perpetual Inventory Clerk at Macy's
5 个月Good to know