The need for increased creativity in education is currently being proposed in much innovative thinking on higher education as universities are forced to recreate themselves. There are four conditions facing higher education worldwide: alignment, motivation, connection, and direction. Higher education is characterized by a hierarchy of subjects and curricula that are fragmented and lacking connection. Grades and other extrinsic motivators typically used in school tend to dull thinking and block creativity. Today's students are the most technologically connected in history, yet conversation is being sacrificed for connection, compromising self-reflection. We are now moving to a right brain directed Conceptual Age which calls for the ability to make connections that have value. The need for an education through the arts has never been greater. The teaching example of the experimental Black Mountain College (BMC) of North Carolina from the 1930s to the 1950s is once again relevant with its dedication to educational and artistic experimentation, including cross-disciplinary collaboration and the fostering of individuality. A liberal arts education is again the example for the future as a directive to action, the development of character, and an education for life as an active citizen. There are specific and concrete things that can be done to emulate the Black Mountain approach individually, institutionally, and inter/nationally to transform curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. The central position of the visual arts in a liberal arts education cannot be forgotten. Our emphasis must be on creative and active learning in the development of character.