How we utilize technology while preserving the core of our liberal arts colleges, the very brand of our colleges—the connection between our faculty as teachers and scholars and our students as learners—will be critical. But we should not turn away from opportunities to add depth and strength to our programs, not only because the opportunities might be cost-effective but also because the overall quality of a liberal arts education will be directly linked with the excellence and sophistication of those programs. At Bowdoin, the relationship between our faculty and students is at the core of what we do, but that core will be unsustainable if the relationship is not grounded in the most sophisticated educational resources available. If we are not first-rate and intellectually sophisticated, over time we will not continue to attract first-rate, intellectually sophisticated faculty or students.
