TOMORROW: Eastern to host Richard A. Detweiler: 'A conversation on the future of the liberal arts'
Author of 'The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs'
Willimantic, CT (03/31/2026) — Eastern Connecticut State University will welcome nationally recognized higher education leader and scholar Richard A. Detweiler for a special presentation about the enduring value of the liberal arts on April 1 at 3 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre. Detweiler is the author of "The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs: Lives of Consequence, Inquiry, and Accomplishment," and president emeritus of Hartwick College and the Great Lakes Colleges Association.
University Hour event
- "A Conversation on the Future of the Liberal Arts" - Richard A. Detweiler
- April 1, 34 p.m.
- Student Center Theatre
This spring 2026 semester, Eastern has hosted several events and campus conversations exploring the future of liberal arts education amid present-day technological advancements and workforce changes. Eastern President Karim Ismaili noted, "At the center of those conversations are simple but powerful questions: How do we clearly articulate the lifelong value of a liberal arts education? And how do we demonstrate its impact in the lives of our students?"
Detweiler's talk is the latest installment in this series of liberal arts-affirming conversations. His scholarship focuses on how institutions can better understand and measure the long-term outcomes of a liberal arts education - not simply through first jobs or starting salaries, but through the ways graduates lead meaningful, engaged, and impactful lives.
During his visit, Detweiler will meet with campus leadership, faculty, and students as the University continues to reflect on how Eastern can strengthen the case for the liberal arts in today's higher education landscape.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
Media Attachments
Excerpt from "The Evidence The Liberal Arts Needs"
Eastern Connecticut State University
Michael Rouleau, (860) 465-0172, rouleaum@easternct.edu; communications@easternct.eduShare this Story
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