Nine essays on education in the humanities and the debate surrounding liberal education are presented by the faculty of Mercer University. "Liberal Education and the Christian Intellectual Tradition," by Willis B. Glover, addresses the root question of what liberal education means. In "Science as a Liberal Arts Discipline," Dan R. Quisenberry discusses the importance of science as a framework on which civilization is constructed. "American Leadership and the Failure of the Humanities," by Kurt Corriher, argues that liberal arts institutions must produce a new image of not only competence but stature. Theodore D. Nordenhaug in "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" discusses the mission or purpose of institutions of higher education. "The Arts That Liberate," by Adrienne Bond, examines the amount of factual information which modern man has within his reach and how to deal with the information explosion. Today's typical liberal arts students and how colleges promote the traditional values of liberal education to the nontraditional student are discussed in "'New Students' in Liberal Arts Colleges," by Marjorie T. Davis and Charles C. Schroeder. "Viva the Liberal Arts! Viva Specialization," by Edwin Harwood, calls for a balance between personal development (a characteristic of liberal education) and professional/vocational training or the development of practical skills. Joseph E. Claxton in "'Genuine' Liberal Education" discusses the impact of a liberal education on a future law student, concluding that liberal education produces disciplined self-expression, which is a skill of great importance to lawyers. (LC)