Psychology, sociology, history, political science, economics and philosophy — some have maintained that these and other "liberal arts" subjects result in "degrees to nowhere."

However, this list also represents, respectively, the undergraduate fields of study of the following individuals: Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase; Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States; Samuel Palmisano, CEO of IBM; Condolezza Rice, former secretary of state; John Watson, CEO of Chevron; and Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

Difficult economic times such as we are in certainly require job and skill training that can result in immediate employment, to be sure. Nonetheless, to argue that Utah students enrolled in more traditional liberal arts programs have nothing to offer in terms of applicable job skills for the real world reveals an alarming ignorance of the irreplaceable value of a liberal education.

Utah is one of six states to be categorized as a LEAP state: Liberal Education and America's Promise.

At its core, LEAP states and institutions are committed to producing graduates with the portable skills necessary to ensure success in today's uber-competitive global environment: knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world; intellectual and practical skills; personal and social responsibility; and integrative and applied learning.

In sum, LEAP subscribes to the philosophy of the architect of the Great Books program at the University of Chicago, Robert Hutchins: "The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives."

Southern Utah University is proud to be the state's designated public liberal arts and sciences university. And the moniker "liberal" has nothing to do with political affiliation or ideological bent. Taken from the Latin, libero, to make free, the title suggests the liberation one feels in exploring a whole range of subjects and ideas while shaking off the debilitating effects of ignorance and prejudice.

We like to say our graduates at SUU are "T Birds," the university's mascot, but the T means so much more. The horizontal axis suggests the student's exposure to diverse interests and ideas — that during one's educational experience, a student has attended lectures and convocations outside a chosen major, hiked in one of our state's spectacular national parks, participated in service learning activities, studied abroad, learned a language, completed an internship or taken in a Shakespeare play. The vertical axis denotes "drilling down" into one's chosen major and acquiring those skills that distinguish our graduates from others.

Our pioneering ancestors came here with nothing and left us everything. Shortly after establishing their farms and building their homes, they founded a higher education institution — the University of Deseret — in 1850 and colonized from Canada to Mexico. They also founded a theater, and the university they started gave birth to artistic companies that have so greatly enriched our state today: a ballet, an opera and a world-renowned symphony orchestra.

In many of these early communities (from Rexburg, Idaho, to Ephraim, Utah, to Thatcher, Ariz.), the intrepid pioneers founded colleges built on Brigham Young's belief: "Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work, and the power to appreciate life."

The first governor of the Utah territory understood what the value of education really meant. Skill sets, while necessary and vital to one's success, do not guarantee an appreciation for what really enriches one's existence. This transformative power comes from the liberal arts and humanities.

Our future as a state, and the quality of life we leave for future generations, depends on opportunities for Utahns who choose to avail themselves of all a liberal arts education can provide. Degrees in these areas truly provide a portal to anywhere.

Michael T. Benson is president of Southern Utah University. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Brigham Young University, a master's degree in non-profit administration from the University of Notre Dame and a doctorate in modern Middle Eastern history from the University of Oxford.