Front Page     News     Opinion     A & E     Features     Sports     Back Page     Archive     Staff     Contact

OTHER NEWS STORIES - Court rekindles affirmative action debate - News Briefs Employers value the diverse education of 'Humanities' Ebbtide Staff Flexibility and thinking "outside the box" attract employers. Honing those qualities outside the professional arena lies beyond the scope of traditional collegiate courses. Professionals believe an education in humanities prepares students for the rigors of professional life. Exposure to multiple disciplines increases the depth of knowledge students have to pull from. During a recent job search, one Shoreline student found that potential employers listed creative problem solving and autonomy as characteristics possessed by ideal candidates. Tom Everill, an associate vice-president of International Business at Airborne Express, graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's in humanities. Since then, Everill has ascended to the executive level in his early 40s. This is no small feat in a corporation of Airborne's size. Everill attributes his success to decision-making skills he developed during his liberal arts studies. "I only took one business course in my life," Everill says. "I took an accounting class and quickly discovered it really wasn't for me. I excelled at spatial thinking rather than linear dynamics." Disciplines within liberal studies programs span from economics and political science to fine arts and literature. Most four-year schools offer degrees in the humanities. The University of Washington, Bothell, offers a bachelor of arts in liberal studies under the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS) program. The Culture, Literature and the Arts option under the IAS program focuses on the cultural impact of fine arts and literature such as painting and novels. Although reading Victor Hugo and studying the socio-economic relevance of Mexican modernism does not sound as grueling as cranking out derivatives in calculus, the ends justify the means. Students draw sound conclusions on complex issues from varying sources of information. Similar scenarios face employees in the global market on a daily basis. A degree in the humanities will prepare graduates for the difficult decisions awaiting them in the workplace. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™