A Liberal Arts Education

Economics & Sociology

Academically, Reagan's major area of study was Economics and Sociology in which he received his degree in 1932. Somehow, blinded by the lights of Hollywood, this academic element has been overshadowed in history, yet, as U.S. President, it had a powerful intellectual impact on Reagan. Eureka College taught Economics and Sociology as a joint degree purposefully as a pure reflection of the College's goals reflecting "the mutual development of intellect and character" or Economic=Money and Sociology=People or How Money Effects People. The servant leadership focus of the College founders still pervaded the culture and curriculum of Eureka College. In "An American Life," Reagan's autobiography, he states "One of the first things I found out about my particular college was that, because of its size, we assumed a lot of assignments. Most of the time we took a whole host of leadership roles simply because there was no one else to do it. It was my first taste of stepping forward and assuming responsibility for more than my own life, and I never forgot it. Sometimes, when I think of how little I knew about life, contrasted with how much responsibility I took on at Eureka, it makes me smile. But the college never let me do less than my best."

Reagan often said, "Everything good in my life, everything, began at Eureka." How true. He, simply put, was a first-generation college student, from a troubled homelife, with little money, who never dreamed of going to college. Eureka, and the opportunities it provided, certainly must have been transformational.

Ronald Reagan Jokes and Remembers Fondly

his Academic Career at Eureka College