Against All Odds?The Enduring Value of Liberal Education in Universities, Professions, and the Labour Market

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines Canadian higher-education policy shifts that prioritize assumed market needs and place humanities, social sciences, and fine arts at risk. It explains the drivers of these changes and argues for the continuing cultural, social, and intellectual value of liberal education. Using recent and previously unreported census data, it demonstrates generally positive economic benefits for individual graduates. It concludes that reducing liberal education for supposedly market-worthy subjects undermines the integrity and vitality of higher education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

The Context of Change

# Against All Odds?The Enduring Value of LiberalEducation in Universities,Professions,and theLabour Market* PAUL AXELROD,PAUL ANISEF,&ZENG LIN York University,York University &Ilinois State University ## ABSTRACT The humanities,the social sciences and the fine arts—the core sub-jects of liberal education —are at risk in Canadian universities,and thedanger arises largely from the forced reorientation of higher education toassumed market needs.This paper attempts to explain why such policyshifts are occurring;it points to the continuing cultural,social and intel-lectual value of liberal education;and,drawing from recent and previ-ously unreported census data,it demonstrates that liberal educationproduces generally positive economic benefits to the individual gradu-ate.It concludes that policies designed to diminish the presence of lib-eral education in universities in favour of more supposedly“market-worthy”subjects are short-sighted and threatening to theintegrity and vitality of higher education. ## RÉSUMÉ Les lettres,les sciences sociales et les arts —les domaines d'étudeformant le noyau dur de I'éducation libérale —sont à risque dans lesuniversités canadiennes,et le danger vient principalement de laréorganisation forcee de I'education supérieure pour répondre auxdemandes du marché.Cet article tente d'expliquer pourquoi ceschangements de politique se produisent;il s'intéresse à la valeurculturelle,sociale et intellectuelle de I'éducation libérale;et,s'inspirantdes donnees de récents recensements et d'autres précédemmenteffectués,il démontre que I'éducation libérale produit généralement desavantages économiques chez ses gradués.Cet article conclut que lespolitiques servant à diminuer la presence de I'éducation libérale dans lesuniversités à la faveur de programmes soit disant plus valables pour lemarché sont à courte vue et menace I'intégrité et la vitalité deI'éducation supérieure. ## INTRODUCTION The humanities,the social sciences and the fine arts—the core sub-jects of liberal education —are at risk in Canadian universities,and thedanger arises largely from the forced reorientation of higher education toassumed market needs.This paper attempts to explain why such policyshifts are occurring;it points to the continuing cultural,social and intel-lectual value of liberal education;and,drawing from recent and previ-ously unreported census data,it demonstrates that liberal educationproduces generally positive economic benefits to the individual gradu-ate.It concludes that policies designed to diminish the presence of lib-eral education in universities in favour of more supposedly“market-worthy”subjects are short-sighted and threatening to theintegrity and vitality of higher education. ## THE CONTEXT OF CHANGE Universities have struggled in the past,but as Paul Axelrod (1998)has observed: recent funding cuts appear to have been accompanied by anapparent sea of change in public policy.The principle ofample public funding to relatively autonomous universities,which enabled a diverse academic curricula—including theliberal arts—to grow and thrive,is in question.The doctrinesof globalization,privatization,institutional competition,mar-ket-driven programming,and user-pay fee schedules are nowpushing at the gates of higher learning.(pp.6-7) Policy makers and business leaders now tend to favour what SheilaSlaughter and Larry Leslie(1997)call “academic capitalism”As KjellRubenson(1977)notes,the policy focus increasingly is on the“exchange value”of education.In this world students pay a far higherportion of university costs,corporations play a growing role in shapinguniversity policy,university funding is tied more and more to graduateemployment"outcomes,"research support from the public and privatesector is driven increasingly by business and high technology needs,andfaculty entrepreneurialism and private universities are fostered.(See alsoTudiver,1999;Wilson,1999). For Peter Godsoe(1996),CEO of Scotiabank,these types

FAQs

What higher-education policy shift does the paper critique?

It critiques forced reorientation of higher education toward assumed market needs, which threatens the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts.

What value does the paper argue liberal education continues to provide?

It highlights continuing cultural, social, and intellectual value, in addition to demonstrating generally positive economic benefits.

How does the paper support its economic argument?

It draws on recent and previously unreported census data to show generally positive economic benefits for individual graduates.

Oct 15, 2026

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