College Board Forum 2024: A liberal arts education can prepare you for a satisfying career

John Haller, Denison University, joined WorkingNation to share his thoughts on the value of a broad education
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A broad liberal arts education helps students identify their interests and passions, according to John Haller, vice president for enrollment management at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Haller joined WorkingNation’s editor-in-chief Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation Overheard at College Board Forum 2024 in Austin, Texas.

He says it’s important for students to be, among other things, critical thinkers and good communicators. “Years ago, I worked with a student that was an art history major, then ended up working for a consulting firm right out of college,” says Haller.

“She came back and said, ‘I ended up doing a lot of computer programming. I didn’t do any computer programming when I was in college, but I had a broad-based analytic skillset, and I was able to apply that to whatever the organization needed me to do. I took it and ran with it.’”

Haller gives credit to the institution’s academic and career advising staff. “It’s a team that is constantly working in the market to say, what are the trends? What are they seeing professionally? And how are we bringing what they’re seeing in the work world back to Denison – working with students to position them to achieve what their interests are?”

He continues, “We’ve done a lot of work in the curriculum to broaden it so students can find their interests and passions. For instance, we’ve added a data analytics, a global business commerce, and a financial economics majors in the last few years.

“Students who are interested in business but may not want pure business can explore those opportunities and we match them with internship opportunities or immersion in opportunities from the time that they set foot on campus.”

Learn more about Denison University.