The Liberal Arts at Piedmont University

In its dedication to excellence in teaching and learning, Piedmont University embraces the liberal arts tradition and the principles that define it. Challenging students to develop habits of mind that will continue to inform their lives beyond college, Piedmont encourages free inquiry, promotes clarity in thought and expression, and inculcates in students a devotion to higher meaning.

At Piedmont, students learn to think critically and engage with complex ideas. Understanding the importance of being grounded in “the best that has been thought and said,” we also recognize the liberal arts as inhabiting a tradition that grows stronger as it assimilates new ideas, technologies, and ways of looking at the world. Students who engage with the great ideas of the past are able to bring nuanced understanding to contemporary issues. They develop the confidence to challenge received ideas and the intellectual humility to question their own assumptions and biases in the pursuit of truth.

The study of the liberal arts prepares students for the twenty-first century workplace by complementing professional training and giving them an advantage in careers that value empathy, adaptability, problem solving, and creativity. The liberal arts teach students to take the long view—to understand that the concerns of the moment are often a distraction from what really matters—and to recognize that the most important things in life are not necessarily those that can be quantified or even defined in advance. Through a commitment to travel study, Piedmont encourages students to explore the wider world. Our students recognize the importance of cultivating a sense of vocation, a calling to something higher that transcends individuality and inspires them to find meaning beyond themselves.

Committed to the idea that the liberal arts are the study of what makes us truly human, Piedmont University strives to awaken in students an awareness of the promise of their best selves and to nurture a lifelong love of learning.