The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/65892
Boudreau argues that ignoring history, literature, and the arts comes at a great cost to society. behind the scenes. They know how to com- mand attention, communicate ideas, and show up on time. "You can't go out in front of an audience on opening night and say, 'I'm sorry we need an extension on this.' The show opens ZKHWKHU \RXŒUH UHDG\ RU QRW VKH VD\V DQG RXU VWXGHQWV EHQHƂW IURP FRQVWDQWO\ ZRUN- ing under those hard deadlines" ALL ROADS LEAD TO SALISBURY LABORATORIES Those unfamiliar with WPI may not envy the Department of Humanities and Arts, surrounded as it is by technical disciplines. But Boudreau and her colleagues say the connections between the liberal arts and the STEM faculty run deep—and they travel in both directions. WPI faculty members borrow heavily from one another to make their lessons resonant and relevant. And LW V WKH VWXGHQWV ZKR EHQHƂW PRVW IURP WKH cross-pollination. Back in Harrington Auditorium, the video is winding down. Soon, the students will head over to the campus center to meet with liberal arts faculty and begin to make decisions about which courses to take. And LQ FDVH WKH\ KDYHQŒW ƂJXUHG LW RXW WKH SRHW on the screen makes it quite clear that while they may have come to WPI for a technical education, they will be leaving in four years with a whole lot more: When you nurture what's human You build a communion And that's what makes us unique. So forgive us for raising Such high expectations I know it's a tax on your freedom But at WPI Our standards are high And we rather expect you'll exceed them. 46 Spring 2012