What is the value of a Christ-centered liberal arts education?

I’ve worked in liberal arts institutions of higher education for the past twenty years serving in many roles from Student Affairs to Athletics to Faculty. It is my belief that the value of a liberal arts degree is the institution’s desire to develop the whole person in preparation for their vocational calling.  This includes a required general education curriculum that traditionally offers courses in the Humanities(i.e., art, literature, ethics, music, speech), Social Sciences( i.e., history, psychology, sociology, economics), and Natural Sciences(i.e., biology, physics, botany, earth/life science).  

Throughout my two decades on college campuses I have witnessed students shaped into better communicators, writers, ethical decision makers, team members, and problem solvers all while being pushed to think critically as future leaders in an ever changing world.

One of my favorite stories that enforces the value of a liberal arts degree comes from a university president who was speaking to first year students during opening convocation.  During his message he espoused the values of a liberal arts degree and provided the following tangible example.  

He shared that his college roommate from the 1980’s was no longer working in the field of his undergraduate study but was incredibly successful in working for Goggle in web analytics.  He would add that neither Google nor a position in web analytics existed during their college years but he believed it was their liberal arts education that provided a foundation to be adaptable, multi-disciplined, and confident in the marketplace.  

SEU Carolina is not just a liberal arts institution but a Christ-centered liberal arts institution.  What does that mean?  I’ll let former Southeastern University president Dr. Rutland answer.  He was fond of saying, “Does that mean the walls are ‘Christian’? What about the books, are they Christian?” He would answer “No” for the audience on both fronts and then add, “what makes our institution Christ-centered is the people.”  It is the faculty, the staff and vision of the administration to approach their roles from a Christ-centered perspective.    

If you are interested in learning more about SEU Carolina and gaining a Christ-centered liberal arts degree then please connect with our enrollment team and apply today. https://seucarolina.org/steps

Kevin Smith