As entry-level job opportunities constrict, tuition costs rise, and AI threatens to disrupt the entire world, questions about the value of a liberal arts degree have intensified. I recently spoke with our client, Christa Acampora, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at University of Virginia, about the state of higher education. We also talked about the job prospects for liberal arts majors, and why the humanities increasingly matter in an AI world.

Celia Jones: As dean of one of the nation’s most respected arts and sciences institutions, how concerned are you about the questions regarding the value of a college degree in today’s world?

Christa Acampora: Every education leader should be concerned about the state of higher education, public confidence, and the debates around the cost of attendance. Many challenges are hitting higher education and the workforce at the same time. We are at an inflection point.

AI—an umbrella term for many different technologies—is not a “normal” technology, where an innovation emerges, the marketplace integrates, and a skilled-worker gap appears that higher education fills. If it were a normal technology, or just one technology, it might be smart to become an expert in only that.

Since it’s unclear if AI will create a job boom, it’s important to look at why studying matters—rather than the fields to study—and think about the purpose and value of higher education.

Jones: How do you counter the narrative that going to college isn’t worth the investment, or that it’s a financial risk?

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