Straws in the Wind - Part 211

From NPR: Brandeis University says it is revamping its humanities offerings to focus on preparing its students for the workforce. It is one of a number of schools making such moves... It's a tough job market out there for recent grads, and more young people in the U.S. are questioning the need for a college degree. That's putting liberal arts colleges under pressure to prove their value, like Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where educators are trying to reimagine the humanities. ...Brandeis is focusing on building skills and giving students work experience before they graduate.

...[A] job-shadow program is part of Brandeis' plan to make the world of work a little less mystical. Starting next year, every student here will have the chance to take what they learn in class and apply it in real work settings. It's also adding more student support. Brandeis president Arthur Levine says as soon as they step on campus, every student will get two advisers - one academic, one career - and two transcripts... One will have the grades and the course they took, and the other will be a record of what they know and what they can do...

Levine says the economy is changing dramatically, so schools also have to evolve and make sure students are acquiring concrete skills like communication, digital literacy, critical thinking and adaptability. Brandeis, with its roughly $1.4 billion endowment, could've coasted along for years, but with fewer potential students, the school has been discounting more than 60% of its tuition just to fill its seats...

For the past year, Levine's been pitching his restructuring plan to improve the quality of a Brandeis education to professors, and it worked... Eighty-eight percent of the faculty voted in favor. You never see that level of agreement on anything at a university...

The No. 1 reason why students enroll in higher ed is to get a good or better job... And if families continue to feel graduates are leaving campuses unprepared for the workforce, Busteed predicts more colleges will soon follow Brandeis' lead...

Full story at https://www.npr.org/2025/12/21/nx-s1-5640789/more-young-people-are-questioning-the-value-of-college-some-universities-are-rethinking-liberal-arts-programs.