The following was published in the Springfield News-Sun on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
A recent Dayton Daily News op-ed claimed that “the liberal arts model is breaking,” pointing to Wittenberg University as an example. As both a former student of a liberal arts institution and a current assistant professor at one, I was dismayed by the suggestion that the liberal arts have somehow become obsolete. The opposite is true: America needs the liberal arts now more than ever.
A liberal arts education has never been about simply producing graduates with diplomas. Its purpose is to develop thoughtful, adaptable, community‑minded individuals capable of navigating an increasingly complex world. At its best, the liberal arts cultivate intellectual, ethical, and practical capacities that extend far beyond the classroom.
At the core of this education are five key strengths:
First, interdisciplinary learning exposes students to cultural, historical, scientific, and ethical perspectives. In a time of global interconnection—and global tension—seeing the world through multiple lenses is not a luxury; it is essential.
Second, the liberal arts build intellectual flexibility. Students learn how to navigate changing circumstances, rethink assumptions, and shift strategies when new information demands it. This is the opposite of rigidity; it is the very definition of resilience.
Third, they cultivate advanced communication skills—writing, speaking, listening, and engaging in civil, informed dialogue. Employers consistently report these as among the most valued skills in any field.
Fourth, a true liberal arts education fosters ethical reasoning and civic engagement. Students learn how their decisions—personal, professional, and political—affect their communities and the broader world.
These strengths are especially urgent today. We live in a society increasingly shaped by polarization, misinformation, and propagandized narratives. Academic institutions must teach students to evaluate information, question assumptions, and engage thoughtfully with others.
We also inhabit a world saturated with artificial intelligence, where content can be generated faster than it can be evaluated. Global issues such as migration, inequality, climate change, and social fragmentation are not merely technical challenges—they are human challenges. Solving them requires people who understand identity, culture, and behavior. That is the work of the liberal arts.
The claim that “technology has eaten the distinctiveness” of liberal arts colleges—that AI tutors and online platforms can replicate close faculty contact and small seminars—is profoundly inaccurate. Every semester, my office is filled with students seeking not just tutoring or academic guidance but relational support, conflict resolution, and conversations about stress, hardship, identity, and well-being. No AI tutor can replicate that.
Online education offers real advantages: affordability, flexibility, and accessibility for nontraditional or working students. These strengths matter. But the question is whether online learning provides the same depth of intellectual and personal growth as the immersive liberal arts environment. It can supplement learning, but it cannot replace it.
Despite claims to the contrary, AI represents less than 10 percent of human cognitive capacity. It cannot replicate common sense, emotional intelligence, lived experience, ethical judgment, or self-awareness. Yet technology can exceed human capacity in two ways—and neither is good for us: cognitive offloading, where we become dependent on technology for even simple tasks, and passive use, relying on AI shortcuts that bypass real intellectual effort.
Wittenberg University has long paired academic rigor with hands-on experiential learning. It embraces technological tools while centering active engagement, community, and faculty-student partnership. Here, AI is framed as a “thought partner”—not a replacement for human connection or insight.
If we want to “make education great again,” dismissing the liberal arts is not the answer. Investing more deeply in them is.
Chad J. Sloss
Assistant Professor, Sociology and Criminology
