Jeffrey Frank, associate professor and coordinator of undergraduate programs in education, had a piece published by Lever Press on the importance of a liberal arts education during the COVID-19 crisis.
Frank's article is titled "Liberal Education and Pedagogy’s Value in Challenging Times" and is available on the publishing company's website.
Frank strikes a positive tone in his article, as he reflects on the ability of liberal education to cultivate morale and argues that being a presence for students is more important now than ever. He speaks about the need for being available to students not just for classwork and Zoom meetings, but to listen to their fears and anxieties, and try to help them cope and look to the future.
"Though this may not feel like much given the enormity of the challenges COVID-19 presents, it is important to remember that trying to maintain our presence for students is not nothing. Liberal education matters. It has the power to cultivate morale, and that is a gift that many of us need now more than ever," said Frank.
Frank is also the author of Being a Presence for Students: Teaching as a Lived Defense of Liberal Education, also published by Lever. In October, he was named a Fulbright Specialist and he was also selected by the graduating class of 2019 to give the last lecture in May 2019.
