University and Kent community members shared a buffet of coffee and pastries yesterday morning as part of the biannual Bowman Breakfast.

The event highlighted the 75th anniversary of the College of Arts and Sciences, as about 250 university administrators, faculty and students intermixed with Kent Chamber of Commerce members in the Student Center Ballroom.

“It’s basically bringing the city and the university together twice a year,” said Andrew Dix, president of the Kent Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber recognizes that the university is an integral part of the community. We’re partners in many ways.”

The breakfast has been a tradition since 1963, Cartwright said, and the chamber and university alternate who hosts the event.

“There’s an on-going working relationship,” Cartwright said. “In the larger scheme of things, the chamber is interested in the fact that this is a college town.”

During the event, Darrell Turnidge, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, presented a video detailing the history and achievements of liberal arts education.

About 90 percent of LER courses are in the College of Arts and Sciences, and generally 50 to 80 percent of courses taken by new freshmen from all colleges are Arts and Sciences courses.

“Fundamentally, the liberal arts as a concept is not that changed,” Turnidge said. “I think the basic concept has remained constant. As you live your life, there’s more that goes into the decisions you make every day than whatever specialty you happen to be in. There’s a whole human side to much of what you deal with in your life.”

The College of Arts and Sciences, along with other colleges, grew out of the efforts of the chamber, Turnidge said.

“And it’s an opportunity each year to go back and look at that and maintain that relationship,” he said.

Contact administration reporter Ryan Loew at [email protected].