Holleran Lecture explores the power of the liberal arts

Dr. Jeffrey Bilbro discusses "The Liberating Arts: Why We Need Liberal Arts Education," the Common Read for all first-year SEARCH students

Alvernia University hosted this year's Holleran Lecture as part of the First-Year SEARCH Program, bringing together over 350 students, faculty, and staff for an afternoon dedicated to reflection, dialogue and the transformative power of a liberal arts education. The event centered on "The Liberating Arts: Why We Need Liberal Arts Education," the Common Read for all first-year SEARCH Seminar: Enduring Questions students and a text that reinforces the university's educational mission rooted in Franciscan values.

"The lecture stands at the heart of what we promise an Alvernia education will be: a community that learns together, listens with humility, and engages the world with moral courage," said President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. "The liberal arts are not a luxury; they are training for freedom. Freedom to think clearly, to discern wisely, to act ethically."

This year's speaker, Dr. Jeffrey Bilbro, Professor of English at Grove City College and editor of "The Liberating Arts," was welcomed by SEARCH Program Director Corey Harris, Ph.D., who emphasized the lecture's role in helping students explore fundamental questions about identity, purpose, and responsibility.

"At a time when society is questioning the value of the liberal arts and telling young people that college is a place for career preparation, we felt that it was important to select a text and a speaker that remind our students that the role of liberal arts is to free them to determine what matters in their lives," said Harris. "The Liberating Arts illustrates that education, especially one rooted in the liberal arts tradition, is preparation for a fully realized life."

Students attending the lecture shared how SEARCH has already shaped their understanding of themselves, their academic experience, and their emerging sense of purpose.

"The course really shows how liberal arts helps people become better individuals with a broad perspective on life," said first-year business management major Jack Kodrin. "It helps us understand how to flourish, how to be better members of society, and it even gives us a new perspective on freedom."

For many students, the SEARCH Program is equally transformative in the classroom, building confidence and strengthening essential communication and leadership skills.

"Search has helped me with public speaking and made me more confident and engaged," first-year healthcare science major Jonathan Bailey said. "It has made me a stronger leader, and that will help me down the road as a PT."

As Bilbro invited students to consider the enduring value of the liberal arts in shaping meaningful lives, the Holleran Lecture once again affirmed Alvernia's commitment to educating the whole person. Through SEARCH, students cultivate intellectual curiosity, ethical grounding, and reflective habits that prepare them to thrive as professionals, citizens, and leaders.

Fitzgerald closed her welcome by reminding students that their education extends far beyond a single afternoon's conversation.

"Students, I encourage you to listen for the question that challenges you and the invitation that calls you," Fitzgerald said. "Learning does not end with a lecture. It begins there."