Need answers for that pesky relative who wants to know what you are going to do with your liberal arts education?

People who have had a broad liberal art education

. . . listen and hear.

. . . read and understand.

. . . can talk with anyone.

. . . can write clearly, persuasively and movingly.

. . . respect rigor not so much for its own sake but as a way of seeking the truth.

. . . practice humility, tolerance, and self-criticism.

. . . understand how to get things done in the world.

. . . nurture and empower the people around them.

. . . are able to see connections that allow one to make sense of the world and to act within it in creative ways.

Taken from Dr. Douglas W. Foard's commencement address to the 2001 Class of Hampden-Sydney, May 13, 2001.  Dr. Foard is Executive Secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.