The Liberal Arts Vision

Calgaard saw a lack of liberal arts colleges in Texas, while such colleges flourished in the east and midwest. It was important to Calgaard that educational instruction be high quality. He wanted the Trinity to be primarily undergraduate. He thought that teaching was a much better way to contribute to society than publishing research. He personally interviewed all potential faculty to make sure that teaching students was their priority. He firmly believed that the learning process continues outside of the classroom. Students who lived on campus were more exposed to a diverse group of people that were commuting students (“Calgaard Interview”, 2019).

Calgaard was not the only one who saw these tenants as keys to student success and improvement of quality of life. Liberal arts schools around the country saw an increase in popularity during this time after their decline in the 1970s. According to a New York Times article, job prospects for arts and science graduates increased. Additionally, 1986’s more stable economy allowed students to focus on more than getting a job that makes good money. The article states, “With liberal arts, you get an education for life and learning, not just for getting a job (Fiske, 1986).” Calgaard shared this idea as well; this may help explain why most of his policy changes were not directly related to the classroom.