News-Letter

The Master of Liberal Arts program celebrated its 40th anniversary in style on Sunday, with a celebration in the Glass Pavilion and a discussion led by Hopkins scholars "exploring the liberal arts."

The event featured a keynote address by Dr. P.M. Forni titled, "Between Beauty and Goodness" which explored the connection between imagination and everyday life.

The celebration was followed by a panel discussion and then a reception that was attended by over 200 people.

The program provides students of all ages with the chance to learn in seminar-style classes in the college setting.

It was one of the first such programs to be established in the nation, although now other schools have followed in its footsteps.

Still, despite its age, the program resembles how it looked when it was established 40 years ago.

"It hasn't changed significantly. Obviously we're offering more classes but the curriculum has stayed within the breadth of the liberal arts," said Dr. Melissa Hilbish, Associate Program Chair of the Masters of Liberal Arts Program.

It draws faculty from Hopkins as well as experts from local museums and agencies and offers classes on a variety of subjects each semester.

For students, the program includes 10 classes that can be completed in up to five years. One course is required, seven or eight are electives and the remaining one or two are either a graduate project or a thesis.

The classes, which are geared largely toward adults, are often scheduled on nights and weekends to allow those working during the daytime hours to still attend.

"Our age range is 22-80," Dr. Hilbish said.

"We have more students coming one to two years out of undergrad now, but it's still mostly people coming back because they miss the seminars and the chance to take those courses and explore those areas they never had before."

After 40 years, the program now has more than 2,500 graduates, some of who have gone on to become well known. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume is a graduate, as is Treasury Secretary John Snow.

As for the fact that the program was established in 1962, making this its 41st year, Dr. Hilbish says, "Its actually 40 plus 1. It's our year to grow on."

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