The steady, and in some fields, increasing growth in the number of students who choose to major in the liberal arts comes as something of a surprise to casual observers of academic trends. Their astonishment stems from a view of the liberal arts as a compilation of disciplines concerned primarily with promoting the value of abstract thinking, the representation of fanciful ideas, and a preoccupation with the past. They find it difficult to understand why students would continue to find the liberal arts relevant in the face of the gritty and raw realities of contemporary life. They point especially to the dramatic changes that have led to a "flattened" world or what is more commonly referred to as globalization and new demographics at home that, at the present time, challenge once commonly held views of what it means to be creative and thinking human beings.

Those of us involved in research and teaching in the liberal arts are not at all surprised by the continued interest of students in expanding their knowledge in these academic fields. As the impact of a changing world order and an altered domestic demography increasingly become a part of the fabric of our lives, students find in the liberal arts a means of gaining a deep appreciation for varied identities, creative practices, and overarching cultural and social differences. As the mosaic of our times becomes more intricate in its variety and complexity, they learn the critical importance of "translation," not merely as a linguistic skill but as an act of cultural competency of profound significance. Students learn that they must constantly position themselves in the forefront of attempts to forge new definitions of citizenship, nation, and nationalism as forces of globalization challenge our traditional sense of what it means to be a native of specific locales. And they learn why it is vitally important that they play a central role in the academic and public debates about diversity and pluralism and champion the need to respect identities inflected by factors such as race, class, gender, nationality, and religion, to name a few.

Liberal arts scholars know that the continued vitality of our fields results from the critical knowledge and comparative and interdisciplinary methodologies that characterize contemporary liberal arts practices. These facets of our work position us to respond to the challenges of a rapidly changing global landscape and demographic patterns. In essence, we are well aware that, in order for the arts and humanities to remain attractive to students, we must remain committed to expanding knowledge and modes of representing the human condition that reflect existence in the contemporary world and in the face of evidence that challenges our understanding of the past. Our commitment enables students to discover a framework and gain a decided advantage in being able to address the social, cultural, economic, and political challenges that we face in the 21st century. Furthermore, our commitment reflects our fervent belief that the liberal arts provides students with knowledge of self, society, and the world that enriches their lives and provides them with a foundation for success regardless of the career or professional endeavor that they choose to pursue.