Jim Thanks for sharing this piece about Harvard. I'm much impressed by their DASH system of open access to faculty publications. Janet Dr. J. Nepkie NEW EMAIL ADDRESS [log in to unmask] SUNY Distinguished Service Professor SUNY Music Department Oneonta, NY 13820 tele: 607-436-3425 fax: 607 436 2718 From: <Greenberg>, Jim <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 3:22 PM To: "[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Subject: The Value of a Liberal Arts Education Harvard's Task Force on General Education writes: "…a liberal education — that is, an education conducted in a spirit of free inquiry undertaken without concern for topical relevance or vocational utility. This kind of learning is not only one of the enrichments of existence; it is one of the achievements of civilization. It heightens students' awareness of the human and natural worlds they inhabit. It makes them more reflective about their beliefs and choices, more self-conscious and critical of their presuppositions and motivations, more creative in their problem-solving, more perceptive of the world around them, and more able to inform themselves about the issues that arise in their lives, personally, professionally, and socially. College is an opportunity to learn and reflect in an environment free from most of the constraints on time and energy that operate in the rest of life. A liberal education is also a preparation for the rest of life. The subjects that undergraduates study and, as importantly, the skills and habits of mind they acquire in the process, shape the lives they will lead after they leave the academy. Some of our students will go on to become academics; many will become physicians, lawyers, and businesspeople. All of them will be citizens, whether of the United States or another country, and as such will be helping to make decisions that may affect the lives of others. All of them will engage with forces of change — cultural, religious, political, demographic, technological, planetary. All of them will have to assess empirical claims, interpret cultural expressions, and confront ethical dilemmas in their personal and professional lives. A liberal education gives students the tools to face these challenges in an informed and thoughtful way." [cid:EFB37FAD-D9D6-4277-98B1-6E4214899C55] Mr. James B. Greenberg Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center Milne Library SUNY College at Oneonta Oneonta, New York 13820 email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> phone: 607-436-2701 fax: 607-436-3677 Twitter: greenbjb "Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever" From: <Flinton>, Pamela <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Reply-To: Teaching List <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 11:36 AM To: Teaching List <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Subject: National Information Literacy Awareness Month Given our discussion this morning, I thought it appropriate to forward this announcement from Milne Library News. Information literacy is not solely the realm of any one department or group on an academic campus. I think the words used in the proclamation “…we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information…” capture much of the concerns we expressed this morning. The “how” is still the question, is it not? Pamela Flinton Head of Access Services James M. Milne Library, 111C SUNY College at Oneonta Oneonta, NY 13820 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 607-436-2998 [cid:image003.jpg@01CDA092.2E096750] Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress. -- Nicholas Murray Butler