Students at some of our institutions are finding new academic choices. From international development work to music theater to sports management, campuses are tailoring their offerings to meet the changing interests of students — while continuing to provide a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Melding music and theater
Cue the orchestra — St. Catherine University merged its music and theater departments in January 2011 and began offering a new major in Music Theater. This was the result of a two-and-a-half-year strategic planning process to make music and theater accessible to the St. Catherine community. "We wanted to broaden our students' study and participation opportunities in theater and music — disciplines that inherently complement one another," said Teresa Lyons Hegdahl, an assistant professor of theater.

Research revealed that there were relatively few Bachelor of Arts in Music Theater programs in the seven-state region and those programs required students to declare their major in their first year to graduate on time. "We wanted to find a way for students to complete our major in four years even if they don't start it right away," Hegdahl said.

The St. Kate's Music Theater major combines the two disciplines in a unique way. It's not just about performance, Hegdahl said; students also take courses in music appreciation, leadership, dancing and directing. "The program gives them broad-based skills; it's truly a liberal arts degree."

St. Catherine also wanted the courses to be open to non-majors, in keeping with its goal of expanding opportunities for participation. The courses are not sequential and there's only one prerequisite. "Any student can take World Music, Dance for Musical Theater or one of our other courses," Hegdahl said.

Developing a new major is a meticulous process at St. Kate's. Faculty members sent their proposal to the university's Undergraduate Educational Policies Committee, which evaluated it and made suggestions. When the proposal finally went before the faculty for a vote, it had been examined by many eyes, Hegdahl said. "There has been wonderful enthusiasm from students and faculty; we are very excited about this new major."

In May, Adara Bryan became the first graduate, since her previous coursework met the requirements of the new major. "Theater and performing arts has always excited me; I get the biggest rush when I am onstage," she said. Bryan plans to be an active performer in the Twin Cities and hopes to work with youth to provide positive theater experiences. "Thanks to the training I received at St. Kate's, I have already been cast in the beautiful musical 'Ragtime' at the Park Square Theater in St. Paul in next January and February," she said.

A multidisciplinary advantage
Macalester College students can now choose an International Development concentration that gives them a multidisciplinary perspective on global issues. With the college's emphasis on internationalism and service to society, it's an important field for Macalester, said Patrick Schmidt, an associate professor in Political Science. "This speaks to our focus."

Many students come to Macalester with an interest in international development work, yet they may not know quite what it is, Schmidt said. "This concentration gives them a roadmap and the chance to interact with faculty from different disciplines." Students take six courses from at least three different departments, including political science, economics, anthropology, geography, sociology and environmental studies. They learn about how shifts in social, economic, political and cultural institutions affect people's welfare and opportunities.

Schmidt describes concentrations as "super-sized interdisciplinary minors. At Macalester, concentrations "live or die" by faculty interest, he said; faculty work together to apply to the Educational Policy and Governance Committee. "We've had concentrations for five years and they have blossomed."

Macalester has long had people doing international development work, Schmidt says. Recent examples include Tyler Beckelman, a young alum who coordinated the logistics for food delivery with the World Food Program in Darfur, and Emily Hedin, a grad who co-founded a nonprofit in Lima, Peru with a Macalester professor and has a master's in development studies from Oxford.

"Students in this concentration will now be better positioned to take higher-level course offerings in the fields and maintain that momentum over their college career," Schmidt said. He noted that students will also have greater access to visitors and guest speakers that various faculty bring to campus.

Building on existing strengths
Concordia University, St. Paul, is the only private college in Minnesota classified as Division II by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. As such, it attracts a lot of athletes with an interest in its Kinesiology program. With the addition of Sport Management and Sport Psychology majors, students now have the opportunity to receive more specialized knowledge in these areas.

"These new programs draw on the strengths of the Kinesiology Department, but they are more career-focused," said Kristin Schoon, Concordia's director of undergraduate admission. Sport Management emphasizes business aspects, including facility management and promotion and marketing of sporting events. The Sport Psychology major focuses on training for performance improvement, as well as work with athletes, coaches, and parents regarding injury and rehabilitation, communication and team building.

"By combining the technical sports and business-related content of the discipline with a liberal arts tradition aimed at developing critical analysis and solutions-oriented thinking, we provide the benefits of a liberal arts education in a more relevant context suited to today's career minded students," said Eric LaMott, chair of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Concordia.

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