An Academic Symposium began the week of festivities celebrating the inauguration of Dr. Steven R. DiSalvo from October 16 to 18. Taking place in the Dana Center on October 16, Dr. Mark Cronin hosted the first ever Academic Symposium on campus, an event focusing on highlighting the history and future of the liberal arts.

Dr. Cronin began with a welcome address before introducing Keith Chevalier, the college archivist, to give a brief overview of the history of the college over the past one hundred twenty-five years. Chevalier began by illustrating the impressive leadership of the founder of the college, Bishop Denis Bradley.

“He wanted to educate youth for a business pursuit,” says Chevalier.

Originating from Saint Mary’s Abbey in Newark, New Jersey, Bradley went in search for developing a higher form of education for students.

“All colleges grow from small beginnings,” Chevalier emphasized as he mentioned only one hundred eighty male students attended the college around the time of its dedication in 1893.

There were only a few buildings on campus at the time, entirely self-sufficient with a farm and a bakery. The college began with two different kinds of programs: the commercial, which was a three-year program for those interested in business, and the classical, a comprehensive six-year program for other majors.

The efforts of Abbot Bertrand Dolan helped improve the reputation of the college, sending monks to graduate school at Columbia University to further improve their teaching. Things were going well until the 1920’s, when the impact of World War I threatened to close the school as the student population reached only fifty students. By 1946 enrollment was back to five hundred students, adding new majors to the curriculum such as criminal justice and geography.

The 1960’s saw numerous developments in the college including new facilities, such as a dining hall, residences, a nursing program, and a formal humanities program. The college became co-ed in 1973 and since then, many buildings and programs have been added. Over thirty thousand students have graduated from the college throughout its history. As we enter the 125th year of the college’s founding, Chevalier wants everyone to remember “the pioneer spirit of the monks from Newark.”

Dr. Timothy Austin was the next speaker, a Provost from Duquesne University. He spoke about what the future holds for the liberal arts, bringing to light the qualities a liberal arts education holds and the benefits of it in the working world.

“I prefer to believe in the determination of humans to adapt or adopt whatever technology brings us,” states Austin. “We will put those resources to work to explore, analyze and research.”

The ability to easily access online databases affects all scholars, “enabling things to come alive for students.” Students can go even further in research for projects or papers, and are able to find relevant articles on almost any topic. But what are the benefits of a liberal arts education today?

“Most American employers say it is more important for prospective employees to be well-rounded, having obtained skills through liberal arts that are valued by leaders in the workplace,” adds Austin. He continued on to mention that the flexibility of liberal arts educations “better prepare students for world changes and provides the best possible education for a rewarding life.”

The Symposium concluded with a faculty panel composed of Dr. Nicole Eyet from the Chemistry Department, Dr. Christopher Galdieri from the Politics Department, and Dr. Chani Marchiselli from English. Each professor provided their own opinions about liberal arts in the ever-changing world, reflecting on different aspects of the working world.

They all stressed the importance of students obtaining a college degree and gaining skills that would be useful for the career they plan to have. Now more than ever it is crucial to have knowledge of all areas of society, whether it be “knowing what to ask a doctor when at an appointment,” says Eyet, or “understanding complicated arguments,” Marchiselli adds. A liberal arts education also “helps students become citizens that the fellow citizens need them to be,” states Galdieri in a closing remark, a true indicator of the importance of the liberal arts.