Higher Education Through the Lens of a Liberal Arts University

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an analysis on a higher education model in the United States (U.S.). The university under study is a liberal arts university located in the south-east coast of the country. The university has a unique feature of a private tech-savvy institution. The chapter provides an analysis of the university’s accreditation, critical aspects, and challenges in the higher education setting relating specifically to the institution.

Education has always been the cynosure of society’s growth and economic turnaround. Education has taken new shapes with the advent of technology and globalization in the past decade. The value of education varies on the cultural perspective – with international students in quest for a U.S. degree. The U.S. has a unique position in the global education market. It is home to many world-renowned schools, making it a number one choice for education experience by both international and domestic students. The country hosts thousands of international students that pursue valuable experience through the flexible and encouraging educational environment, and support systems vital for student success.

During the academic year of 2020-21 the share of international students among U.S. higher education students stood at 4.6 percent, a decrease from the previous year academic year 2019-2020, when the share of international students stood at 5.5 percent (Institute of International Education, & NCES, 2021). The possible drop in the percentage could be due to the pandemic and the impending travel restrictions. Students from China and India contributed to the international student body in the United States, totaling 317,299 students and 167,582 students respectively in the academic year 2020-21 (Duffin, 2021).

An interesting but worrying twist in education has been the steady decline in enrollment in the last few years, before the pandemic (Carey, 2022). The debate about why and if college education is necessary to be successful has sparked the interest of educators, administrators, and the government. A few reasons for the decline are accessibility of remote learning from the comfort of home, tuition costs, and the pandemic expedited the process. The phenomenon of college enrollment cliff has been the hot topic for a few years now and administrators are leaving no stone unturned to bring more students to campuses. A noteworthy point to mention is the capabilities of institutions to pivot to address the issue by offering boundless education, enhancing campus-life, and showcasing their stories of success.

Every educational institution aims to provide a robust student experience and maintaining an educational institution is a meticulous process of running the office of admissions, student financial services, library, academic colleges, deans, faculty, quality control through assessments and accreditation, and a strong leader. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce one of the various structures and systems in education. The chapter spotlights on liberal arts education – its structure and system-by describing the history of liberal arts education, features of liberal arts institution, private university, recruitment and retention, and delivery of curriculum.