59 Timothy D. JOHNSTON UNIVERSITY of NORTH CAROLINA at GREENSBORO Challenges to the value of liberal education continued to be heard from politicians and some members of governing boards. With the economic recovery still going slowly, the “monetization” of a college degree became increasingly prominent in conversations about higher education. Students and their parents became even more strongly focused than in the past on immediate employment and earnings potential. Deans in many states, including my own, continued to struggle with budgets that, if not being cut as savagely as in some recent years, remained stagnant or grew only slowly. However, the networking available to CCAS members through the Annual Meeting, the listserv, and seminars provided support and inspira- tion and a sense that deaning is still an honorable and rewarding profession! 2014-2015 59