The Practical Side of Liberal Education: An Overview of Liberal Education and Entrepreneurship

A liberal arts education might be viewed as a metaphor for entrepreneurship. The humanities suggest that the entrepreneur is an artist. History might see entrepreneurs as the true revolutionaries of technological, economic, and social change. A liberal arts education is rich in metaphors that are capable of capturing the multifaceted life of an entrepreneur. A course in film or the theatre might suggest that the entrepreneur is a stage or film director, while a course in physical education might reveal the entrepreneur as a coach. . . . Undergraduate entrepreneurship education should not be viewed as a narrow careerist pursuit, but as giving new life to the traditions of a liberal arts education. -Dennis Ray, "Liberal Arts for Entrepreneurs" Many campuses are experimenting with introducing entrepreneurship into their curriculum in addition to empowering students through campus leadership programs and civic engagement projects that cast students and faculty in entrepreneurial roles. Leadership studies, student programs for responsible civic engagement and service learning, and entrepreneurship programs provide a nexus for new initiatives that will enrich both liberal education and the study and practice of entrepreneurship. The following assumptions underlie my analysis. First, entrepreneurship is a legitimate area of scholarly inquiry and a curricular component that need not be limited to certain departments or schools or to colleges of business. second, the fundamental elements of a liberal education are essential to the development of an "entrepreneurial mindset." And third, both the study of entrepreneurship and the goals of liberal education can derive mutual benefit from curricular and extracurricular initiatives that seek to link the two enterprises. The ideal liberally educated student of the twenty-first century is a lifelong learner who is openminded, tolerant, intellectually curious, courageous, self-actualizing (with the capacity for attaining personal growth, physical and mental health, and spiritual well-being). He or she values education for its own sake, the natural world, the rights of other individuals, the richness of diverse cultures and peoples, the need for community, and the common good. As a learner and citizen, the liberally educated person is actively engaged with the world in all of its complexity, diversity, and dynamism. Such an individual is characterized by an attitude of openness and curiosity, and seeks to make a positive contribution to the future of humankind. In discussing liberal education in comparative and historical contexts, Sheldon Rothblatt observes that one of the traditions of liberal education has been leadership: "As one of the oldest traditions of liberal education, preparation for political leadership dates back to the Greeks and is connected to holism and character formation" (2003, 28). Civic Engagement One of the most powerful developments in liberal education in recent years has been the emergence of a renewed commitment to service learning and civic engagement on campuses across the country (for an overview of these developments, see Schneider 2000). One of the most visible examples of this is the organization Campus Compact (www.compact.org), which currently boasts one thousand member institutions with a wide and growing array of programs designed to promote civic engagement. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has produced numerous publications and initiated several programs designed to help colleges and universities link liberal education to citizenship and work and encourage experiential learning and applied research through faculty-student-community partnerships. In fact, in 2003, Campus Compact and AAC&U partnered to establish the Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement to help put civic learning at the heart of students' academic experience and faculty work. One of the best examples of this kind of institution is Portland State University, which is a model of the engaged, urban university that builds on a general education foundation in the liberal arts and extends to a plethora of programs designed to immerse students in their community in mutually beneficial ways. …