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Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan is president of St. Mary's College of Maryland, a small liberal arts school. Jordan was trained as a biochemist, but had a liberal arts education and was exposed to natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and the arts while attending college. This is a very articulate and clear essay on why liberal arts education matters, and how learning to question is its most valuable trait.

The author David Bach argues that business schools need to go in a different direction - more like liberal arts. Frame problems and get out of the way. "When people hear liberal arts, they - mistakenly - think of content, of literature, history or philosophy. They think of curricula without structure, of students mixing and matching courses from the arts and sciences without plan or direction. But liberal arts education is something more. "It's a way of looking at the world, a mode of inquiry. It is what Albert Einstein called "the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.""

Forbes, August 17, 2015 by George Anders on how Slack and other successful tech start-ups rely on those with a broader-based, or liberal arts education, to humanize and make apps and plug-ins more user-friendly and just plain friendly. The rebirth of the liberal arts education??

From The Next Web (TNW) News by Michael Redbord, the VP of Global Customer Support and Technical Services at HubSpot. Backs up what the Forbes, USNews, and other articles are saying about the ability of liberal arts majors to think, problem solve, see from different perspectives, and translate the technical into common language. Although geared towards recent grads, good advice for any job seekers on applying for jobs, a resume that tells your story, not your lists of accomplishments, and evidence of your investment in yourself.

This framework reminds of what we need to use for our Story Booth-- Seth Godin's Icarus Sessions "The rules are simple The Icarus Sessions are a challenging new way to bring your art forward. Not to make a sales pitch, not to get customers or patrons, but to find the courage to stand up and say, "here, I made this." You can attend a session without presenting, of course. A presentation at an Icarus Session is 140 seconds long. You can go shorter, but not a second longer. You can use slides, or handouts, or even better, just bring your enthusiasm. The assignment: Tell the group about your art. What have you created? What frightened you? What matters? Not a pitch. An act of brave vulnerability. I made this. It scared me. This might not work. Here's how it changed me. What do you think?"

Love this video by the two instructors of this course by Stanford/Online for explaining how and what this course is all about for practitioners in the arts. Is both structured and informal. Video format and content are instructional for WLStudio learning facilitators.

from The Future of Work. Elizabeth Segran "For women in tech, a humanities background can be an added liability, since there is already a perception that they are less competent at science and math. Danielle Sheer says that when she joined Carbonite, her first impulse was to hide her lack of knowledge and retreat at meetings. However, she quickly changed strategy, deciding it was more important for her to ask questions to fully grasp the technology. She's spent hours tinkering with the software and working with engineering teams to learn about it. She says her colleagues are supportive, even if she sometimes slows them down. "By articulating complicated technical or strategic ideas in plain English, you'd be amazed at how much progress we've made solving problems," she says. "We've become very good at assuming that we don't have the same definition.""

"In the real world, you don't have infinite resources; you don't have a perfect product; and you don't sell to a growing market without competition. You're also not omnipotent, so you cannot enforce what people think your brand represents. Under these assumptions, most companies need all the help they can get with branding. This is my advice to help you."

"TED (Technology/Design/Entertainment) is celebrating its 30 anniversary in March and has transformed the art of keynote speeches. Since TED "talks" are now viewed online more than two million times a day and smaller, independently run TEDx events are held in 145 countries, there's a good chance that people in every audience has seen a TED talk. That means, like it or not, your next presentation will be compared to TED!"

page from Buckminster Fuller Institute that explains how they work--they build across disciplines to understand divergent needs/answers, then facilitate convergence across the disciplines of art, science, design, and technology to "address the unprecedented challenges before us."

article by Jonnie Goodwin, founding partner of Lepe Partners, August 2014 on how the internet fosters traditional arts and crafts and passions that might turn into professional work opportunities

nice blog post by Anna Carlson, NixonMcInnes (UK) a social media firm, 6/19/2014 on facilitating learning spaces. Endorses check ins and check outs to "land" the learning and drawing exercise for introductions.

suggestions from U of Penn Arts and Sciences to trouble-shoot Adobe Connect.

Interesting and vast website, Next Avenue, sponsored by PBS, that has loads of resources under Technology, Reinvention & Inspiration, Style, Travel, Arts & Entertainment, Passions & Pursuits, etc. Relevant to WLS.

Excellent video on why 20s are critical adult forming period--brain is fully formed for adulthood; "Plan and not quite enough time to do great things"--Leonard Bernstein Musical chair relationships and fear of not being able to sit down at age 30 with partner for life can cause bad decision making Post millennial crisis is not having the career that you want, or family that you want Story of Emma--at age 25--"having an identity crisis". Thought she might want to work in art or entertainment. Lived with boyfriend who displayed temper more than ambition. Head in lap, and sobbed for hour. In case of emergency, please call. who will be there for me? Told her three things that all 20 somethings need to hear: 1. Get identity capital--investment in who you might want to be next. Identity capital begets identity capital. Discounting exploration is not supposed to count when it is procrastination. 2. New piece of capital or person to date comes from weak ties--half of 20 somethings are underemployed, and half of them are not--reaching out to weak ties is how you connect; 3. You can't pick your family but you can pick your friends. You can pick your family and the time is now. The best time to work on your marriage is before you are married. Consciously choosing what you want. Found an old roommate's cousin who helped her get a job; married and has plenty of emergency contacts. One good conversation, one good Ted Talk can have an enormous impact. "Thirty is not the new 20, claim your adulthood, get your identity capital, reach out to weak ties to make your family.

This site, HASTAC (Haystack--Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory) is a super sophisticated version of what I hope the Studio will become.

Interesting site for women to find out and act on what they desire to be. She has courses (paid), groups, workshops, etc. Worth looking at for her content, offerings, and possible connection to the Studio. Plus, she is something else!

I like the feel of the site. It is a little more fluff than I think we would use, but it offers some interesting components for us to consider. Thanks.

Blog post by Ron Carlee, October 25, 2011, on Societal Impacts of Digital Exclusion, TechSoup for Libraries. He was "asked to comment on the importance of digital technologies from the perspective of local govenrments." Great quote for connected learning value. See cost proposition below: This increased societal connectiveness and awareness, however, is only available if one is connected. If you're not connected, you're really not connected. In an earlier day, we could legitimately debate the importance of a digital divide relative to other public priorities. In its infancy, informational technology was interesting and useful, but was it truly essential for everyone all the time? This is no longer a credible question. Without digital connectivity in the 21st century, people will earn less, pay more for the things they buy, live life with fewer personal connections, and they will not be exposed to virtual worlds of vast knowledge, art, and even frivolity. If we really care about having successful communities of educated people who can compete in a global economy, who are entrepreneurial and creative, if we really want people to connect with one another, if we want our institutions to connect with the people they serve, if we want a sustainable world that improves the lives of all people, then we must ask the question: can any community afford involuntary, digital exclusion for any of its residents?

Blog by Penny Scott at Info Career Trends website, 5/4/2009 See excerpt on five year goals and being proactive in PD and career development. When I began my current position at the University of San Francisco in 2003, I knew that five years down the road I would need to apply for a promotion. This involved showing my professional development and service by creating a promotion binder that traced my career development - and seemed a daunting task to my new librarian's eyes, because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find enough professional opportunities with which to fill my binder. I've found, though, that the promotion process is a model for the art of being proactive about career development, both in thought and in deed. Being proactive requires an active, open, seeking attitude, as well as reliable, high-quality action. This combination is very powerful, and can help you get beyond the constraints of time, funding, geography, or your current job description - giving you a career path of which to be proud."

good tips on S.O.C.I.A.L which stands for Sincere, Open, Collaborative, Interested, Authentic, and Likeable. Blog post written by Vala Afshar, July 9, 2013, for Information Week Social Business