volume 8 no. 12
University of North Carolina at Asheville
march 1, 1973
I faculty opinions
Should UNC-A remain
a strictly liberal
arts institution?
8 ij
ApOBO:
UA/C-C8C
Questions often arise about
the purpose of UNC-A. How is
this university different from the
other fifteen state universities
in North Carolina? Well, UNC-
A, first of all, is a strictly liberal
arts university. UNC-A’s other
unique feature is suppose to be
its experimental approach to
education. My purpose here is
to gather opinions from faculty
members’ impressions as to the
future of liberal arts at UNC-A.
Mr. Frank Coyle in the Math
Department says that, “liberal
arts is whatever the faculty at
a particular time says it is. The
Humanities and Science Divis
ions see liberal arts as an acade
mic discipline while the social
sciences probably think of
liberal arts as an insight into
value systems.”
Mr. Coyle feels that the best
way to judge how good the liberal
arts here is would require one to
look at the people who have fin
ished here to see if they are
leading a productive life.
Is our liberal arts program too
broad? Mr. Coyle replied, “Our
liberal arts is too broad in a cer
tain sense. We’re not doing
enough things in a great way.”
Coyle felt that liberal arts
should prepare one to be compe
tent in many areas.
Mr. Arnold Wengrow of the
Drama Department agreed with
Mr. Coyle on the purpose of
liberal arts education. Mr. Wen
grow is in favor of liberal arts
education. Wengrow feels, how
ever, that, “a liberal arts edu
cation is not the only kind of
education for everybody.” He
favored career education for those
who* are not inclined to liberal
arts.
Wengrow also stated that all
schools should not have to offer
both types of education.
Dr. Lloyd Remington of the
Chemistry Department does
not feel that liberal arts education
and a vocational education are
that far apart. “People who
consider these two areas as poles
apart probably think that voca
tional education culminates in
earning a grubby type of living
while a liberal arts education is
suppose to be more intellectual.
You can also earn a grubby liv
ing with a liberal arts education
but then you are suppose to be
refreshed by the intellectual
pastimes that v ’.ch an education
provides.”
Remington felt that UNC-A’s
curriculum could feasibly be
broadened. “You can broaden
the curriculum without cheapen
ing the present curriculum.
While cheapening is possible, it
is not necessary.”
Chairman of the Physics
Department, Dr. Jim Vinson,
defines liberal arts as a study in
broad areas. “This school’s
ambition to be an undergraduate
institution with broadened cur
riculum is a good idea. We are
going to have to get into new
areas. New approaches are need
ed for the old liberal arts areas.”
Vinson further stated that,
“liberal arts teaches a person to
become an independent learner.
This enables one to transmit
humanistic values.” Vinson
concluded by stating, “UNC-A
should be able to change its
occupational modes and pre
pare students for society in a
way that they now cannot.”
Mr. Mike Gillum of the Liter
ature Department believes in
liberal arts as a style of education.
“Liberal arts education aims at
opening people up. I do believe
in a fundamental liberal arts
orientation and we have a pretty
good liberal arts orientation.”
Gillum, however, is sensitive
to the students’ needs of educa
tion to prepare them for careers.
“Liberal arts usu&lly prepares
one for graduate study and pjo-
fessional training. Since jobs are
so difficult to find, I think we
should work towards creating
programs in the liberal arts
style that would make securing
jobs possible immediately. It’s
possible to have sterile me
chanical programs but not nec
essary. We are moving into
this direction now with the Ur
ban Studies and Management
Programs that are being pro
posed.”
Dr. Walter Boland of the So
ciology Department feels that,
“UNC-A is closed in by the classi
cal definition of liberal arts.
UNC-A should become more
occupationally relevant.”
Boland feels strongly that
“We should orient ourselves to
the students that we have. We
should develop programs to their
interests and needs. While we
should encourage other students
to come to UNC-A, we should not
try to place our curriculum out
of reach to the students that we
have now. Presently we are an
elitist institution.”
Dr. Mechthild Cranston,
Chairman of the Foreign Lan
guage Department, , has no
particular quarrels with the
present set up of liberal arts.
“But,” states Cranston, “I
don’t know where it’s going.”
“Liberal arts is 'too undefined.
We do not have a good defini
tion of liberal arts. If the curric
ulum is changed from its pres
ent direction, then UNC-A’s defi
nition of liberal arts will have to
be redefined. I’m not saying that
our definition cannot be rede
fined however.”
Dr. Bill Bruce, a psychology
professor at UNC-A, feels that
“the university should relate to
the needs of the community in
which it exists.”
Bruce would like to see more
community placement of stu
dents in connection with course
work in research and theory. .
“Liberal arts should basically
involve having students think
about their experiences and then
having them contemplate the
way that they think.”
“I see broadening the curricu
lum as a means of initiating the
development of more creative,
innovative programs.”
UNC-A will undergo curricu
lum changes. It’s inevitable.
The community will demand
these changes and the university
will have to comply. These
changes could cause alterations
of our present style to provide
an education that will make stu
dents more acceptable as em
ployees and as thinkers. Hope
fully, these changes will make
UNC-A actually live up to its
wish to be experimental and
thus truly innovative while main
taining the quality and liberal
arts viewpoint that UNC-A
presently has.
Nikki Gioanni, noted Black poet, will highlight four days of
festivities that will focus on the Black Experience.
The four days, March 19-23, will consist of exhibitions of Black
dance, drama, literature, politics, philosophy, art and music. Miss
Black UNC-A will be coronated as part of the festivities.
The Black Experience is sponsored by the Black Students As
sociation in co-operation with the SGA and the Special Programs
Committee.
jLnsid.e:
the RIDGERUNNER takes a look at UNC-A’s future.
Articles include:
The future of campus governance
Why students leave unc-a
The role of campus government in innovation
Innovative course offerings
News briefs