Dean’s Note: The Value of the Liberal Arts and Sciences

“Higher education needs your support. Your voice is critical in raising awareness about the importance of LSA and the education provided by a liberal arts and sciences college,” writes Dean Rosario Ceballo.

As LSA alums, you know first-hand the powerful impact that a liberal arts and sciences education can have—on your life, the lives of people around you, and our society as a whole. The world-class education and life-changing experiences you gained in the College of LSA helped to shape the trajectory of your lives and careers. As Dean, I’m fortunate to learn about the many ways LSA’s creativity, innovation, and research make a lasting, positive impact on people, families, and communities around the world.

At a time when higher education is under intense scrutiny, we need the voices of LSA alums to join us in supporting and advocating for the value and importance of a liberal arts and sciences education. There has never been a more important time to protect the value that an LSA education provides. At this moment, we are all called to affirm the importance of colleges like LSA.

Dean Rosario Ceballo talks with students at an LSA@Play event. She encourages alums and friends of LSA to spread the word that UM-Ann Arbor is the only public institution in Michigan that guarantees to meet full demonstrated financial need for undergraduate students who are Michigan residents. Photography by Erin Kirkland/Michigan Photography

Higher education needs your support. Your voice is critical in raising awareness about the importance of LSA and the education provided by a liberal arts and sciences college. Below are a few highlights of the work that we do in LSA that I hope you will share with those around you:

1. Our students enter the world with a better understanding of how to engage in healthy debate and dialogue. We teach our students to lean into listening, to disagree in respectful ways, and to talk about difficult topics. The new Samantha Woll Dialogues—a series of public conversations on issues related to ethnic and religious tolerance, sponsored by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute—are just one example of how we encourage and nurture thoughtful debate in LSA. 
2. Liberal arts and sciences degrees are highly marketable and versatile. Our graduates select from over 85 majors and 100 minors that allow them to thrive in nearly every field imaginable. This week, for example, I spoke to an LSA alum who majored in English and built a career in the food industry; another LSA alum majored in history and now leads Walt Disney in Asia.
   
3. The research conducted by faculty in LSA has a lasting, real-world impact. Our faculty investigate the ethical uses of AI, changes in the Great Lakes, the history and future of religion, politics, and global finance, to cite just a few examples. Just a couple months ago, new research published by an LSA professor of psychology revealed important developments in the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. 
4. U-M and LSA are committed to providing an education to deserving students, regardless of their ability to pay. With the Go Blue Guarantee, UM-Ann Arbor is the only public institution in Michigan that guarantees to meet full demonstrated financial need for resident undergraduate students.  

Rooted in a spirit of intellectual exploration, LSA equips students with the knowledge, problem-solving skills, and versatility essential for our rapidly changing world. I invite you to join me in spreading this message and advocating for liberal arts and sciences colleges like our own College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Rosie Ceballo, Dean
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts