College Costs and the New EconomyA well-known scholar and speaker on the topic of outcomes assessment, Trudy Banta has presented at conferences in 25 other countries and has developed and coordinated 30 national assessment conferences in the U.S. and 15 international conferences in other countries. In this conversation, she discusses the dynamics of the 21st century American economy and the challenge to the Academy to preserve the liberal arts and humanities in an age of specialization and vocationalism.