Surveys reveal that many employers are looking for college graduates with broadly applicable skills like oral and written communications, a capacity to think critically, and the ability to solve complex problems. Such skills are viewed as being as important as specific vocational skills. Given their importance in the world of work, the curriculum of the Liberal Arts College centers on seven broad intellective skills: (1) complex problem-solving, (2) sense-making, (3) making, (4) imagination, (5) multimodal communication, (6) cross-cultural competency, and (7) leadership (Staley, 2019, p. 96).
Liberal arts universities do more than encourage students to pursue a specific passion or interest. They aim to promote a holistic development of the human race by fostering creativity, critical thinking, analytic skills, learning and understanding, and intellectual growth through an education in humanities, social and natural sciences, and technology.
Here at FuEL, we gather students from all over the world and nurture their intellect by concentrating on how science and technology are applied across a spectrum of environmental issues and in methods that require developing analytical skills for practical application.
Most scholars at the think tank focus their research on pragmatic, present-day issues and solutions, while some look at future trends and provide strategic foresight. The Humanities Think Tank is action-oriented: the knowledge it produces is intended to provoke change in the real world (Staley, 2019, p. 59).
Think tank institutions want students to use world-building and solution-building skills through academic study, research, hands-on learning, and project-based experiences in government and policy, business, economics, and international relations. This involvement equips students for careers related to analyzing and solving ongoing--and preventing--worldwide challenges for a positive impact.
Our goal at FuEL is to prepare students for various careers in solving some of the world's ongoing natural crises, such as climate change and sustainability. We prepare students for professional experiences in worldwide preservation and health, either in the field of environmentalism or policy making. To respond to change and environmental issues, students gain an understanding of solutions by practicing and developing strategies on what works.
General education at Future University includes broad introductions to the social sciences; to economics, management, entrepreneurship, and leadership; to law, planning, and design. ... All of the traditional disciplines are represented at Future University, and students are expected to explore them. The disciplines are studied in the service of understanding systems and how they function, which aids in understanding their future direction (Staley, 2019, p. 201).
The future university looks forward to the unknown but to a great future and the roles technology and entrepreneurship will play in this change. Students are trained to use and analyze technology and innovations through projects, experimental learning, and research using a creative and adaptive lens, preparing them to use developing technologies and innovations. Students learn from the past and use present technologies to consider humanity's role in the future critically.
Students at FuEL are all driven towards the same goal: Build and preserve a better future. They are trained to use various technologies and hands-on projects that can be used to analyze and conquer current real-world problems and how to utilize those innovations to preserve and maintain a healthy environment for humanity, wildlife, and the natural world. While it is inevitable that new, unexpected challenges will arise, our students will use the knowledge and skills gained from their time with FuEL to respond to those challenges and terminate the problem.
In addition to our partnerships and David J. Staley's book, we were inspired by these other sources of information:
Civil society lobbying and countries’ climate change policies: a matching approach
It’s a game changer: using design thinking to find solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals
Living in the dark: Native reservations struggle with power shortages in pandemic
A Futurist’s Vision for Higher Education in a Climate-Altered World