The collection of 10 essays addresses the requirements of liberal education for the next century and the strategies for getting there. The papers propose better ways of linking the curriculum and organization of liberal arts colleges with challenging economic and social realities. After an introductory essay (by Nicholas H. Farnham), the following essays are included: (1) "A Historical Perspective" (Bruce A. Kimball); (2) (3) "The Importance of Mission" (Susan Resneck Pierce); (3) "Some Thoughts on Curriculum and Change" (Leon Botstein); (4) "The Search for American Liberal Education" (Frank F. Wong); (5) "Restructuring for the Twenty-First Century" (Stanley N. Katz); (6) "The Years Before College" (Howard Gardner); (7) "Technology and Computer Literacy" (Peter Lyman); (8)"Constraints and Opportunities" (Adam Yarmolinsky); and (9) "The Student as Scholar" (Ernest L. Boyer). A statement from the April 1994 conference, from which this book emerged, is appended. The statement is an agreement on directions for liberal arts education and includes 11 recommendations such as support for comprehensive evaluations of all faculty, increased flexibility of organizational structures, full utilization of technology, improvement of teaching of faculty throughout their careers, development of alternatives to traditional student and faculty assessment techniques, and encouragement of student involvement in local and global communities. (Most papers contain reference notes.) (MSE)