A P P D E V E L O P E R . H O M E H E A LT H A I D . DATA
O P T I M I Z AT I O N S P E C I A L I S T. S O L A R P H O T OV O LTA I C
I N S TA L L E R . S O C I A L M E D I A M A R K E T E R . H E A LT H
I N F O R M AT I C S A N A LY S T. B L O G G E R .
A generation ago, these professions
didn’t exist. Today, many of them
rank among the fastest growing fields
in the United States, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All of
them point to a current reality that
will only intensify in the future: a
rapidly changing job market. to churn out brilliant scientists,
doctors, coders and engineers who
employed cutting-edge technology,
the U.S. seemed to fall behind. So
a nationwide focus to educate and
train students in the fields of science,
technology, engineering and math
caught fire.
While there is much debate about
the future of work — and just how
many jobs will be eliminated and
created in the coming decades — it’s
clear that the pace of innovation,
automation and advanced technology
development will continue
influencing and shaping our society. Today, STEM is as ubiquitous as the
technology that its students helped
invent — smartphones, tablets,
content streaming services. But as
the nation fixated on STEM, it slowly
devalued one critical element of a
successful thinker: The Arts.
What hasn’t changed is the need for
creativity. More than ever, employers
of today and tomorrow need people
who can innovate, envision solutions
that don’t yet exist, communicate
their ideas, work well in teams and
solve complicated problems. They
need people with empathy and
imagination — traits you cannot find
in a computer (at least not yet).
Teaching students agility and
adaptability in an ever-evolving
world requires a shift in the paradigm
of higher education — a recalibration
of how students learn to address
challenges and solve problems. A new
way of thinking.
“We have the chance to launch a
new platform for the University that
introduces students to a different
way of looking at the world, of
making decisions — a style of
learning that opens their minds, as
opposed to just filling them up,” said
President Tim Cost '81.
Nearly 20 years ago, a new way of
thinking - STEM - made a big splash.
As countries around the world began
“The intersection and integration of
the Arts into Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math — STEAM — is
the next big plank to the University’s
growth platform,” President Cost said.
“If you look at the incredible growth
in the Davis College of Business, in
the Brooks Rehabilitation College
of Healthcare Sciences, and now
with our STEAM initiatives, you’ll
always find the strong underpinning
of the arts — whether it’s fine arts or
the humanities and social sciences.
That’s how we started in 1934, and
it will always be the foundation of
a Jacksonville University education.
Now it’s time to lean even harder into
that identity and allow it to strengthen
every area of this University.”
While liberal arts and sciences have
always been at the core of a JU
education, a growing appreciation for
the arts now extends beyond college
campuses, casting a new light on its
value in such a tech-driven culture.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban of
Shark Tank fame has evangelized the
idea that, in the near future, a degree in
the liberal arts will be more valuable
to employers than, for example, a
computer science degree. In several
media interviews, Cuban predicted that
creativity and critical thinking would
become the most in-demand skills,
as automation increases and artificial
intelligence advances.
Jacksonville University leadership
wants to take that radical outlook
even further. Why can’t students have
both creativity and technical skills?
Why couldn’t a computer science
student also major in philosophy?
“There shouldn’t be a deflation of
the humanities in the training of
students. In fact, we’re doing just the
opposite,” said Provost Dr. Christine
Sapienza. “The technical skills matter.
So does creativity. They need each
other. They’re integral in helping
think about how to create the next
best process or product.”
How will STEAM take shape on
the Jacksonville University campus?
And how will it enrich the training
and experience of our graduates? In
this issue, we’ll explore three areas
where the arts, humanities and social
sciences intersect with scientific and
technical fields in innovative new
ways. First, we’ll delve into exciting
plans to develop a STEAM Institute
on campus where students of all
disciplines collaborate on real-world
projects. Then, we’ll discover how the
Fine Arts are being reimagined in the
21st century as the Linda Berry Stein
College both supports and embraces
new technology. Finally, we’ll explore
what the future of healthcare looks
like, as an aging population of
informed consumers redefine what it
means to be a healthcare provider.
F E AT U R E S
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