Strategic by design: Liberal arts as the smartest strategy in a skills-driven age

What if the liberal arts aren’t just relevant in today’s marketplace, but essential?

That was the challenge posed at the fall launch of Augustana’s Futurist Thinking Series, where faculty, alumni and civic leaders gathered to confront one of higher education’s most urgent questions: Do the liberal arts still matter in a world driven by microcredentials, AI and marketable skills?

The answer, panelists argued, is yes — in fact, the liberal arts are the strategy for navigating change.

The liberal arts as future strategy

Moderated by Dr. Ann Perreau (professor and co-chair of communication sciences and disorders), the dialogue featured Dr. Doug Parvin (professor of philosophy), Doug Hultquist ’77 (financial services executive and Augustana trustee) and Angie Sharp ’08 (City of Bettendorf).

Together, they reframed the liberal arts not as a tradition to preserve, but as a framework for strategic adaptability in a world that refuses to sit still.

“The liberal arts don’t give us skills, they are the skills,” said Parvin, noting habits like curiosity, analysis and empathy are “the foundation for how we take advantage of technical tools, not the other way around.”

Hultquist reflected on how his broad education served as a foundation for leadership across multiple industries: “You can have strategy and execution,” Hultquist said, “but without culture, it doesn’t matter. Emotional intelligence is more important than skills.”

Sharp added that as automation and AI accelerate, emotional intelligence and cultural awareness are becoming more — not less — valuable: “I wasn’t specialized; I was strategized,” she said. “That strong educational foundation gave me the skills to do anything I ever wanted to do.” 

Perreau tied the conversation together by reflecting on the human dimension that endures even as technology evolves: “What only humans can do is even more valuable,” she said. “The liberal arts help us slow down, think deeply, and bring quality and meaning to results — especially in an AI-driven world.”

From provocation to practice

This event marked the first 2025–26 dialogue in Augustana’s Futurist Thinking Series, a campus forum for educator-driven conversations that explore what it means to thrive in a changing world. Each session challenges conventional wisdom, sparks cross-disciplinary debate and surfaces bold ideas to inform institutional strategy.

Insights from this discussion will inform Augustana’s Bold & Boundless strategic plan, including the launch of the Reclaim Relevance essay series, a new platform for faculty to share public-facing reflections on education, purpose and transformation.

Because in a world that won’t sit still, specialized skills expire. Strategic thinkers don’t.

Next in the series