Campus Essays on Liberal Arts

Engaged with the Liberal Arts: Faculty/Staff Essays

Many agree that the liberal arts are vital to higher education today.  The meaning of the liberal arts, however, is specific in many ways to the campus context and its various facets, both curricular and co-curricular or experiential.  In these Campus Essays, faculty and staff share their visions of the significance of the liberal arts in their own lives, in the lives of High Point students, and in the life of the university as a whole.

Illustrations of My Education: A Pictorial Exhortation on the Virtues of a Liberal Arts Education for a Career in Media Production

Prof. Brad Lambert, Associate Professor of Communication

The Liberal Arts: Enhancing Future Scientists’ Success

Briana Fiser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
Heather Miller, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

A Faith Legacy for Liberal Arts Education

Rev. Preston A. Davis, Minister to the University

Foundations for Extraordinary: A History of High Point University and the Liberal Arts

David Bryden, M.L.S., Director of Library Services

Mathematics in My Liberal Arts Education: Shaping My Past, Present, and Future

Adam Graham-Squire, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Work in the World and the World of Work:  Articulating the Value of a Holistic Liberal Arts Education for Vocation

Bridget Holcombe, M.S., Director of Career and Professional Development
Elizabeth Walker, M.S., Career Advisor, David R. Hayworth School of Arts & Sciences

Engaged with the Liberal Arts: Student Essay Contest

For over 90 years, High Point University has provided its graduates with a liberal arts education that equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to lead lives of success and significance in our rapidly changing world.

To recognize outstanding achievement of these aims, the Phi Beta Kappa Steering Committee invites undergraduate students to participate in an essay contest. Submissions must address the following topic:

One of the key purposes of liberal arts education is to empower learners to see beyond disciplinary boundaries, and to analyze experiences and issues from different perspectives. Discuss a time in your college education when you gleaned unexpected and meaningful insights from connections you discovered between courses on different subjects—say, between a humanities and a science class. Feel free to supplement your own insights with essays/commentaries by other writers, speakers, or experiences you’ve encountered in the course of your college education.

Eligibility:

The contest is open to any High Point University undergraduate student in good academic standing. Entrants will be divided into two categories: freshman/sophomore and junior/senior.

Length and Format: 

All essays are to be original essays, 1,000 -1,250 words in length, typed, double-spaced. Each essay must include a title page with the following information: essay title, student’s name, college and home address, email address, and telephone number.

Awards: 

First, second, and third place will be awarded in each category (freshman/sophomore and junior/senior) and will include a cash prize

Deadline and Submission Instructions:

Students should save their essays as .pdf files and submit them to Dr. Matthew Schneider (mschneid@highpoint.edu) according to the following deadlines:

• Freshman/Sophomore: January 15, 2016
• Junior/Senior: February 15, 2016