A New Business School Will Double Down on Liberal Arts. Here’s Why.

Business schools are overwhelmingly embracing emerging tech skills like artificial intelligence (AI) — but liberal arts still has a key place in business education.

Liberal arts is set to be a focal point of the new Warehime School of Global Business at Washington College on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. That new school, made possible by a $15 million donation from alum Elizabeth Warehime, will focus heavily on interdisciplinary liberal arts education.

The $15 million gift from Warehime is the largest donation from an individual in Washington College’s history, which dates back to 1782.

Business management, economics, world languages and cultures, and international studies faculty will come together to shape the school’s focus and curriculum.

Washington College President Michael Sosulski told BestColleges that he expects the new school to launch within the next year. He said the numerous topics covered by liberal arts will help prepare well-rounded, culturally aware future business leaders at the school.

“This whole curricular model for a business school at the undergraduate level grew out of the business management faculty’s discussions about how they could do this, how they could sort of level up what they’re offering, while being fully inclusive of the liberal arts,” Sosulski said in an interview.

While science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills have been incorporated into various business programs in recent years, Sosulski said a focus on liberal arts will help students not only embrace today’s technology, but be ready for future challenges.

Sosulski underscored the importance of a liberal arts education, even amid an increasingly tech-focused business landscape.

“You’ve studied multiple disciplines that are radically different from each other,” Sosulski said. “And that has trained you to think through problems from really different perspectives and problem-solving frameworks.”

That adaptability and critical thinking is “the key to knowledge and life in the 21st century,” Sosulski said.

“It’s such a fast-moving knowledge environment, and it’ll be a very fast-moving problem-solving environment as we see digital technology move quicker and quicker,” he said.

Liberal arts provides students with an “intellectual toolkit” to help them adapt to a changing business landscape, Sosulski said.

Even technology-oriented business schools have flagged the ongoing importance of liberal arts and humanities in business education.

James Bullard, dean of the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University, told BestColleges in a previous interview that soft skills like communication are important for leaders in the tech industry and beyond.

“In order to be successful, every single one of those students needs to be a good communicator,” Bullard said.

“They have to be able to write well. They have to be able to communicate proposals well. They have to be able to explain technology to a group that may not be as well-versed as they are in the technology.”

The Warehime School of Global Business’ focus on liberal arts comes at a time when universities are slashing liberal arts majors due to low enrollment. The number of liberal arts bachelor’s degrees is declining and has been since the 1970s.

But the range of skills a liberal arts education provides for students can bring in a long-term return on investment (ROI): A Georgetown University study found that return on investment from a liberal arts degree compounds over time and eventually rises well above the median ROI.

Another key skill for future business leaders is global and cross-cultural understanding — and the Warehime Business School will offer students a heavy focus in that key area.

Sosulski said future business leaders need to be culturally adept amid an increasingly global business landscape.

“Truly caring and truly understanding the culture of your partners means understanding where they come from, their language and their culture,” Sosulski said. “And those are the kinds of people we want to prepare for responsible, responsible lives and careers.”

That also means being able to communicate effectively and understanding that not everyone in a global marketplace will speak English, Sosulski said.

“To be well prepared to operate in a truly global context, you can’t start with the premise that everyone speaks English the world over,” Sosulski said.

That global, cultural awareness will also include a focus on ethical leadership.

“Ethical questions are always at the forefront of the kinds of problems that will face us and that we’re preparing our students for,” Sosulski said.

Ethics and inclusion have emerged as top priorities for business students in recent years. Around 82% of respondents in the 2024 Tomorrow’s MBA report from the consulting firm CarringtonCrisp said they were interested in embedded diversity, equity, and inclusion content within an MBA program.

Higher education leaders have touted the value of liberal arts and ethics to a changing career landscape. Antioch and Otterbein universities, in a bid to engage with more adult learners and pool resources, recently launched a liberal arts-focused national university system with a focus on liberal arts.

“I just can’t imagine a career that isn’t going to be totally different in 10 years, much less the arc of a 40-year career,” Otterbein President John Comerford told BestColleges in a previous interview.

“And so what the liberal arts is, is it’s a toolbox. If it’s a training program, you’re being given one tool. So we’re training you how to use a wrench, and that prepares you for a job that requires a wrench, and that’s great. But eventually, that job will change.”

Washington College’s new liberal arts-focused business school could launch within a year. Warehime’s gift includes $14 million designated for the construction of a new building and $1 million for the upkeep of the building.

It isn’t Warehime’s first donation to her alma mater.

In 2019, she directed $1 million in grant funds to the school from the Warehime family’s JHC Foundation to set up the Warehime Fund for Student Excellence in Business. It provides the department $50,000 yearly for student entrepreneurship, networking, and research. It also includes funding for student conferences and experiential learning.

“This business school will give Washington College a ‘big school’ offering while maintaining the interdisciplinary theme and experience that comes with a small liberal arts institution,” Warehime said in a press release from the school.

“My own experience at Washington College was incredibly interdisciplinary, and I can’t wait for others to have an even better experience within the Warehime School.”