Liberal Education
Kilachand’s Commitment to a Liberal Education
Kilachand offers a liberal education and a living and learning community that nurture the capacity to engage affirmatively and skillfully with diverse social, cultural, scientific, and philosophical discourses and perspectives.
Today, the word “liberal” can be narrowly associated with a particular political perspective (often opposed to “conservative”), but the phrase liberal education has older roots in the Latin term liberalis, related to “freedom.” Kilachand’s liberal education provides for a free exchange and expression of ideas, constructive debate that respects intellectual and cultural diversity, and the principle of pluralism as a source of strength and insight. We challenge our students to confront profound inequities, and we promote the cultural empathy needed to lead change.
Through Kilachand’s curriculum, our students and faculty work together on unique solutions to contemporary global challenges via rigorous examination and critical analysis. Inside and outside the classroom, they study and apply perspectives from the sciences, arts, humanities, and professional schools; they solicit and consider opposing points of view, and engage in collaboration, mediation, and occasional conflict resolution. We promote exploration of the full range of educational opportunities and co-curricular experiences from BU’s vast disciplinary, social, cultural, and philosophical spectrum. Kilachand’s success depends on our students’ commitment to and ownership of their own learning.