On Oct. 10, the University of Southern Maine participated in the national GlobalMindED conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Civic and business leaders, higher education administrators and college students came together to discuss “Brave Solutions Fueling our Economic Future.”

I’m sometimes skeptical when meetings focus on education and the economy.

I’m concerned the discussion will narrow to job training at the expense of what it means to earn an education. It’s important to me that our students have gainful employment when they graduate, but I don’t want to lose sight of what it means to educate people to be productive citizens who can flourish in our democracy. Thankfully, it became clear that “brave solutions” included prioritizing the humanities and the workplace.

Participants discussed preparing students for the world of work, not just for a job. We considered the importance of students, citizens and employees being problem solvers, thinkers, writers and communicators. We recognized that universities are places where students learn not only skills but also to reflect, contextualize problems historically and embrace complexity and nuance. USM is uniquely prepared for this.

As I listened to the conversation at the U.N., I reflected on USM’s success in this respect. Our humanities programs are strong. They offer our students and the community many opportunities in classes, public talks and interviews to engage with complex issues – not as abstract exercises, nor as springboards for partisan posturing, but as immediate problems that demand careful attention and disciplined thinking informed by broad historical knowledge.

Humanities graduates are thriving as well, precisely because they have been prepared for a “world of work” that requires the combination of analytical, problem-solving and soft skills cultivated in these majors. Humanities students need career counseling early and often, if only to know that their peers have gone on to success as entrepreneurs and in a variety of local and national industries, educational and arts organizations, nonprofits and think tanks.

Our Career & Employment Hub staff meet with students throughout their time at USM and for life as alumni. They help students find over 900 department-funded and federal work-study jobs a year, apply for approximately 150 paid internships, connect with job shadow programs and engage in major and career exploration. In addition, our Hub advisors offer assistance preparing resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles and interviews. The members of our Employer Advisory Council meet regularly with the Hub staff to share their knowledge and expertise, as well as spend time directly with students.

We also have strong relationships with local employers and regularly engage in conversations about workplace needs. Many members of our university community sit on external boards, committees and volunteer groups too numerous to list, and these important connections inform our understanding of the professional skills our students need. Our relationships with local educators, health care providers, entrepreneurs, research partners, economic development councils and so many others inform us about workplace demands.

As we seek to emphasize workplace education and the liberal arts, we are also preparing our students to be able to pivot as workforce needs change in the future. This approach encourages polymathic thinking and double majors.

A working paper published in January 2024 by the National Bureau of Economic Research determined that people who earn double majors in diverse fields are best prepared to withstand earning shocks across their lifetime. This means that if work changes substantially in one field of study, the fact that a person has a second major in a different field provides new opportunities and a buffer against this loss. Beyond offering this buffer, in-depth study in distinct disciplines nurtures flexibility and nimbleness as habits of mind that students take to every interaction and endeavor. This is education for life.

Pairing an intentional focus on the humanities with our efforts to prepare students for the workplace is one of the ways we provide brave solutions that will distinguish our students and the education they receive. These commitments will serve our students well into the future.