<p>I've noticed a lot lately the criticism and unwanted press that many top liberal arts colleges have received. Schools like Amherst and Swarthmore have come under scrutiny for their sexual assault allegations, Bowdoin and Swarthmore have received negative press for their partisan identity politics and other colleges, like Middlebury, have received criticism that they're simply becoming too expensive and have reached a 'bubble.' </p>
<p>Is this criticism indicative of the future for liberal arts colleges? Are these colleges simply becoming too out of touch and disconnected? Ultimately, can these colleges continue to provide the effective liberal arts education that many students seek in the first place?</p>
<p>The top schools will be just fine. It’s the ones near the bottom of the pack that have much to worry about. The demographics in this country are changing, and the population shift toward the south and west may impact some of the lesser-known regional schools. There are plenty of articles about this topic (see [Jobs:</a> The Economy, Killing Liberal Arts Education? - Newsweek and The Daily Beast](<a href=“http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/jobbed/2010/04/05/the-death-of-liberal-arts.html]Jobs:”>http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/jobbed/2010/04/05/the-death-of-liberal-arts.html)). </p>
<p>Bowdoin, Middlebury, and many other top colleges continue to receive a record number of applications. They must make some changes to keep up with the times (such as Middlebury’s investment in for-profit language instruction programs, their acquisition of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and their linking future comprehensive fee increases to no more than one percent above inflation). </p>
<p>But some LACs, like St. Mary’s College of Maryland, can’t matriculate enough students to fill their freshman class. Moody’s just downgraded St. Mary’s bond rating for this reason ([Moody’s</a> places St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s A1 long-term rating under review for downgrade](<a href=“Moody's - credit ratings, research, and data for global capital markets”>Moody's - credit ratings, research, and data for global capital markets)).</p>