President Bergeron discusses Connections with Forbes

In a new episode of the Forbes podcast The Limit Does Not Exist, co-hosts Christina Wallace and Cate Scott Campbell interview President Katherine Bergeron and take listeners on a “deep dive” into Connecticut College’s new approach to interdisciplinary education, Connections.

Wallace and Scott Campbell first learned about Connections by reading about the innovative new program in the Washington Times, they told listeners, and they were immediately impressed by the way it “moves past the checkboxes of general education requirements and the academic silos that often come with picking a major and into a culture of integration, inquiry and connection.”

The result is an undergraduate education that highlights the connections between fields as they relate to broader themes and gives students a grounding context for their major, internships and career search.

“The Class of 2020 is the first to embark on this new approach,” Bergeron told the hosts. “It’s been a very exciting first year. Students seem to really appreciate the encouragement that they are being given through this curriculum to explore and connect their interests.” 

Bergeron said Connections is designed to teach students how to spot unexpected points of convergence between different ways of thinking and doing so they will be able to craft innovative solutions to "problems we can’t even imagine yet.”

“Connections asks every student to start thinking about solutions differently, connecting that conviction and passion to every part of their college experience,” she said.   

“We believe this is a more appropriate way for students to be experiencing their education in the interconnected and globally networked 21st century.”

Earlier this year, Bergeron discussed the College’s new approach to education in interviews on Big Beacon Radio and Sirius XM. Connections has also been featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education and The Day.

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June 22, 2017