Liberal Arts Colleges in America Are Dying

America has a slightly different system, in regard to higher education choices, than other countries.  Students may go to a "college" or a "university."  Also, there are a huge number of colleges and universities in the USA.

What's the difference between a college and a university?

Basically, a college provides Bachelors and Masters degrees but a student may receive a Bachelors, Masters and a PhD from a university.

America also has community colleges for students who may not be sure what they want to study or who struggled as students in high school. These community colleges only provide two years of study, at the most, but allow a student to transfer to a college or university.

Also (!) there are "liberal arts colleges" in America.  These are usually small colleges in rural (non-city) areas where the "liberal arts" are emphasized.  Students who go to a liberal arts college usually major in literature, philosophy, history, sociology etc.  In this article, it is pointed out that liberal arts colleges in America are dying because more students are becoming more practical - they want to study business-related subjects instead of subjects which might enrich their inner-lives.

http://news.yahoo.com/liberal-arts-colleges-forced-evolve-market-154449347.html

1)  How do you feel about the trend mentioned in the article?  Do you feel that students are neglecting
important subjects (like the arts) in order to make money?

2)  Do you think these schools should be compromising, or should they hold to the strong tradition of purely liberal arts classes?

3)  How do you feel about the emphasis on sports at American universities?  Many universities make a huge amount of money through (American) football and basketball programs.  Yet, football is a dangerous sport that causes physical harm and even brain damage to those who play it for too long.