Alumni Column

It may be that the single most over-hyped word in our world is "change." But change is, in fact, ubiquitous. Perhaps the biggest change in our world is the great East-West "shift" – the rise to prominence of what are often called the "emerging," or developing, nations and the concomitant decline of many of the so-called developed nations. The results of this shift are only beginning to be felt as the middle class in those places expands dramatically.

Other developments also make for a world of change. The last 30 years, for example, have witnessed changing fortunes for men and women. Since 1973, men's salaries have dropped over 30 percent and men held three-quarters of the jobs lost in the "great recession." In 2010, for the first time, women formed a majority in the American workplace. They now hold 51 percent of all professional and managerial positions and account for 60 percent of all bachelor's and master's degree recipients. Now controlling half of the wealth in the U.S., women are poised to control over two-thirds of the wealth by 2030.

There's more. America is fast becoming a more diverse society. Every year, another one million immigrant consumer households are added to the lists. By 2030, Hispanics will account for one out of every four Americans.

And, finally, the number of "three generation households" is increasing yearly, in part due to the fact that one of four persons between the ages of 18 and 29 has returned home to live – a lingering effect of the severe economic recession experienced by so many. America is becoming an older, more racially and ethnically diverse, more female-oriented society, with more multiple generations living under one roof.

What's the point of all these facts? Simply, students today cannot just prepare for the world that was; rather, they must have tools and capabilities – and mindsets – to deal with a world whose critical characteristics have not yet been fully formed.

While there are no studies which prove a young person today will have seven careers, we know that the average person does hold over ten jobs in a lifetime – a fact that makes having a mindset attuned to change extremely relevant.

In his book, The Creative Class, Richard Florida writes about the key characteristics of the members of this class: they have highly-developed creative, technical and interpersonal skills. The future will belong to the intellectually nimble, to those with some form of technical literacy – be it budgeting and finance for a non-profit director or probability and statistics for a marketer – and to the creative problem-solvers and those with the "EQ" (emotional intelligence) to match their analytic skills. It will belong to those with the best communicative skills, both written and oral, and those who work well in teams. And it will belong to those whose actions when no one is around exhibit as much integrity and ethics as when they are surrounded by reporters and cameras.

Colgate's liberal arts curriculum is a wonderful spawning ground for those kinds of skills. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn fields and disciplines which don't even budge the practicality meter. You never know the source for the most creative metaphors. The richest ones germinate over time and often come from areas unrelated to the subject. Be sure to engage in spirited dialogue out of class as well as in, realizing that listening is perhaps an even more important art than speaking. Mingle with people unlike yourself. Give yourself to programs or projects which help you see that leadership comes through service. Become a great story-teller.

There is nothing in this world truly as practical as the liberal arts – when you have grappled with big issues, made mistakes and learned from them and felt the joy and fun of cre­ative problem-solving. You will develop the real humility which comes from knowing what you do not know. And you will emerge with the real confidence and fortitude to believe, as Charles Dickens wrote, that, "The important thing is: to be ready at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you could become." That truly is the apotheosis of the liberal arts education – but you will not know it until it happens.