Bryn Mawr President Wendy Cadge wrote a letter to The New York Times detailing the many benefits of a liberal arts education in response to Dr. Jennifer Frey's July essay. Read Cadge's letter below.
From The New York Times:
Posted Online Aug. 2, 2025
Re “The Liberal Arts Can Thrive,” by Jennifer Frey (Opinion guest essay, July 18):
The administrative decisions Dr. Frey recounts at her institution are unfortunate and shortsighted but not universal. Students searching for educational rigor, deep academic engagement and intellectual life in a community are welcomed and celebrated at our nation’s small liberal arts colleges.
Counter to stereotype, such colleges are committed to educating students across the income spectrum, offering financial aid that often makes them more affordable than public universities.
My own path to a college presidency started at a small liberal arts college, with my education made possible by leaders who, even in times of economic challenge or uncertainty, continued to invest in a model proven to change life trajectories.
Wendy Cadge
Bryn Mawr, Pa.
The writer is the president of Bryn Mawr College.
The New York Times Letters Section
Read Frey's July essay
