Each month, "Dean's Corner" will share insights from the University of Houston's academic
leadership. For this first edition of "Dean's Corner," College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Dean Daniel P. O'Connor offers perspectives on the increasing importance of liberal arts degrees in today's
world.
Dear Colleagues,
As we navigate an evolving landscape of higher education expectations, I'm excited
to share how the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is not just keeping pace with workforce preparation demands—we're leading the charge.
While many institutions are scrambling to retrofit career readiness into their curricula,
CLASS has long listened to what employers tell us: the skills that matter most in
today's workplace are the fundamental competencies we've been cultivating all along.
Clear communication, critical thinking, adaptability, ethical reasoning, and collaborative
problem-solving aren't afterthoughts in our disciplines. They're the foundation of
what we do.
Our CLASS to Career initiative represents the natural evolution of this understanding. We're making explicit
what has always been implicit in our pedagogy. When our students analyze complex texts,
evaluate societal structures, synthesize competing perspectives, or collaborate on
research projects, they're developing the character and characteristics that employers
across industries are seeking.
This summer, with funding support from the Office of the Provost, our faculty workgroup
created a comprehensive toolkit that demonstrates how to integrate and evaluate career-readiness
skills in assignments across our 34 undergraduate programs. From case studies in ethics
to collaborative research projects, from analytical essays to group presentations,
from internships to service learning, we're showing our students—and ourselves—that
the work of understanding people, ideas, society, and civilizations is inherently
practical, valuable, and career-focused.
What excites me most is the learning community our workgroup has developed. Rather
than imposing top-down mandates, we're fostering peer collaboration where faculty
share strategies and innovations. This organic growth model ensures sustainability
and authenticity—two qualities that distinguish genuine educational transformation
from superficial compliance.
We are testing these tools in some courses this semester, but we expect students engaged
in CLASS to Career activities to report more meaningful learning experiences, clearer
career readiness confidence, and greater ability to articulate their qualifications
to potential employers. Our graduates stand out as candidates who can think critically,
communicate effectively, and adapt thoughtfully—skills that become more valuable,
not less, as careers progress.
I believe that degrees in the liberal arts and social sciences are uniquely positioned
to meet workforce demands as expressed by industry and regulatory leaders. While many
fields excel at teaching discipline-specific techniques and methods, we excel at teaching
people how to think, how to learn, and how to grow—capabilities that remain relevant
regardless of how quickly industries evolve.
The CLASS to Career initiative isn't about retrofitting our curricula and teaching
in response to external demands. It's about plainly asserting what we've always known:
that understanding human experience, cultural complexity, and social dynamics provides
the most reliable foundation for professional success.
Sincerely,
Daniel P. O’Connor
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences