[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” title_font_size=”3.5vw” background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” custom_margin=”||6px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” title_font_size_tablet=”6vw” title_font_size_phone=”8vw” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat||on||||||” text_font_size=”0.85em” link_font=”||||on|||#2f2f2f|” link_text_color=”#2f2f2f”]<\/p>\n
by Teri Gatto\u00a0 |\u00a0 Winter 2021<\/p>\n
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\u201cSo, what are you going to do with that English degree, teach?\u201d is a common question many students have faced\u2014the implication being that job prospects were dim and students would find themselves among the many overeducated and underemployed in the gig economy. Sometime in the last two decades, the liberal arts began to go out of favor. Unless you were planning on a teaching career, many saw no point in studying English, anthropology or history, for example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think that attitude was the result of the 2008 financial crisis; parents and students became more concerned about the financial benefits of a college education,\u201d says Susan Hangen, Interim Dean, School of Humanities and Global Studies (HGS). \u201cWith the challenges that started with the pandemic in 2020, parents and students may become even more attached to the idea of a college as a form of specific job training.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1024px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/343\/2020\/12\/magazine-18.png” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”1100px” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Oswald|700|on||||||” body_text_color=”#8c0000″ body_font_size=”29px” body_line_height=”1.4em”]<\/p>\n A Liberal Arts education is not a vocational education; it is an education that gives you the abilities that enable you to enter into a variety of careers.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”824px” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”” content_phone=”” content_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” width=”%22240%22″ height=”%22160%22″ custom_margin=”29px|||||”]<\/p>\n As the cost of college tuition slowly crept up, many began to question the \u201creturn on investment\u201d of a Liberal Arts education. Many business majors could count on a healthy salary right after graduation, people assumed, but what could political science majors bank on with their degree?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA Liberal Arts education is not a vocational education; it is an education that gives you the abilities that enable you to enter into a variety of careers,\u201d explains Hangen. \u201cThe Liberal Arts teach you not just \u2018how to\u2019; they also give you an in-depth understanding of the contexts in which we live \u2013 the contexts in which we will be thinking and making decisions. The pandemic has demonstrated just how important broad interdisciplinary knowledge is to understanding and solving the biggest problems of our times. Science alone cannot explain the spread of Covid-19 or any other diseases. Rather, our political and social structures and ideologies shape how people and institutions act, and we must understand these forces to understand and resolve the current crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Rather than seeing college as a place where people are trained for a role in the workplace, Hangen suggests viewing those four years as a time of transformation; a time when students are prepared to tackle the challenges of a fast-changing economic landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know what the careers of the future Today, employment recruiters know that broad-based liberal arts skills can be directly applicable to jobs in marketing, sales and other facets of business, and they often search for candidates who have those very valuable qualities.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of our history graduates is a data analyst specializing in identifying business trends,\u201d says Hangen. \u201cAnother, a political science major, is now the director of a large cyber security company.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ramapo liberal arts majors have gone into government, the non-profit field, including prestigious organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Andrew Goodman Foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cToday, the career opportunities of our students are very strong,\u201d says Hangen. \u201cAnd thanks to the unique array of complex skills they\u2019ve acquired, such as strong written and oral communications, critical thinking and the ability to work compatibly, our liberal arts majors can forge successful careers in a wide range of fields.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”#f4f4f4″ background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” custom_margin=”5px|||||” custom_padding=”34px|||||” collapsed=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”15px||10px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_align=”center”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1024px”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/343\/2021\/02\/Borovsky-Gabriella-10.8.19-1696.jpg” alt=”Gabriella Borovsky standing in front of a sign at the United Nations where she works” title_text=”Borovsky, Gabriella 10.8.19 1696″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” header_3_text_color=”#8c0000″]<\/p>\n Gabriella Borovsky, Global Policy Specialist, UN Women, graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2004, and earned a Master\u2019s of Science Degree in International Development Studies from the London School of Economics. She has worked globally on issues of gender equality and women\u2019s participation in politics, elections and democracy. \u201cRamapo cultivated a sense of curiosity and diligence in me. Through my various experiences, from studying abroad to serving as the Student Trustee, I learned how to navigate my way through an organization, and talk to all kinds of people \u2013 all of which have served me well throughout my career,\u201d Borovsky said.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1024px” custom_padding=”8px||8px||true|”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_divider color=”#dfdfdf” divider_position=”center” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1024px”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” header_3_text_color=”#8c0000″]<\/p>\n Ramapo College alumnus Peter C. Miele \u201911 was the guest speaker for the presentation \u201cMuch May Be Done to Advance Science: Medicine in the Civil War and Ties to the Present,\u201d which brought to light how medical professionals still employ today patient care methods that were used during the Civil War. Miele is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education at the Seminary Ridge Museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His talk drew on the exhibits at the museum, and on the educational work they do there.\u00a0Miele studied history at Ramapo and received a certificate in secondary education. He now uses the medical lessons of the Civil War to teach about care, decision-making and innovations in the present and the future. He has presented discussions on topics such as the 19th century opioid addiction and its impact on Civil War veterans, and the African-American experience and barriers of service during the Civil War.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/343\/2021\/02\/Miele-Peter-Civil-War-2.10.2020-01.jpg” alt=”Peter Miele standing in front of his presentation \u201cMuch can be done to advance medicine\u201d” title_text=”Miele, Peter Civil War 2.10.2020 01″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Footer Back” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f4f4f4″ custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” top_divider_style=”slant” top_divider_color=”#ffffff” top_divider_height=”86px” top_divider_arrangement=”above_content” top_divider_style_tablet=”” top_divider_style_phone=”” top_divider_style_last_edited=”on|phone” top_divider_height_tablet=”52px” top_divider_height_phone=”25px” top_divider_height_last_edited=”on|phone” border_color_all=”#2f2f2f” global_module=”2159″ collapsed=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” z_index=”349″ max_width=”1024px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”24px” link_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_linked__hover=”off” transform_translate_linked__hover=”off” custom_margin=”6px|||||” transform_styles__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_scale__hover_enabled=”on|hover” transform_translate__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_rotate__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_skew__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_origin__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_translate__hover=”-5px|0px”]<\/p>\n![\"Liberal](\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/343\/2021\/02\/Liberal-Arts-graphic-300x200.jpg\")
\u00a0will be and so we have to give students a solid background in context and the durable abilities of critical writing, thinking, problem solving, project management,\u201d she adds. \u201cThose are what you are going to gain through liberal arts programs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nHGS Alumni<\/h1>\n
Gabriella Borovsky \u201904<\/h3>\n
Peter C. Miele\u00a0\u201911<\/h3>\n