Talks by two Hastings Center board members highlighted the importance of the liberal arts in undergraduate education. Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, and Michele Moody-Adams, the Joseph Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory at Columbia University, linked the missions of colleges and universities dedicated to the liberal arts with The Hastings Center’s mission in bioethics.
“The Hastings Center’s mission of conducting interdisciplinary research that translates into real-world effectiveness is at the heart of a liberal arts education,” said Roth. Roth and Moody-Adams spoke at The Hastings Center’s board meeting on December 9 in New York.
Roth’s talk was also posted on the Huffington Post, where he elaborated on his views in writing. “Liberal arts colleges and universities must ensure that higher education isn't left in the hands only of academics,” he wrote. “We are connecting our schools to the worlds of public life, the economy and the broader culture. These connections will make for healthier and more successful scientific and educational institutions.”