For most of my professional career I have been actively involved with the Washington, DC -based Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). For a numbers of years, I served on their Board of Directors and last year I concluded 15 years as the Chair of the acclaimed CIC New Presidents Program. I am an outspoken advocate of the importance of CIC to liberal arts education.
According to President Richard Ekman, CIC is an association of more than 600 colleges and universities that share the attributes of dedication to teaching, purposefulness about moral and civic values, small classes, close partnerships between the campus and its surrounding community, and governing structures that are not part of state government. CIC's main purposes are (1) supporting college leadership, (2) advancing institutional excellence, and (3) enhancing public understanding of the contribution of private higher education to society.
Three years ago, the association announced Securing America’s Future: The Power of Liberal Arts Education, CIC’s public information campaign about the value of liberal arts education and of America’s small independent colleges. The national, multi-pronged initiative directs attention to the compelling evidence that smaller independent colleges produce graduates who are among the best prepared for success in their personal, career, and community lives. The campaign includes research and data that dispel persistent and false stereotypes about independent colleges, feature prominent graduates of independent colleges and universities in all walks of life, and develop new language to describe the advantages of a liberal arts education, especially at independent institutions. S. Georgia Nugent, former President of Kenyon College, leads the campaign.
Dr. Ekman recently stated, “In an era when many state university systems are forced to increase tuition and limit enrollment, independent colleges offer a cost-effective alternative that accounts for higher rates of degree-completion and postgraduate satisfaction. Independent colleges are more likely to enroll and graduate low-income and first-generation college students. Their emphasis on the liberal arts is correlated with higher percentages of students who perform well on tests of learning outcomes and who succeed in science and engineering careers. Graduates of these colleges have lower levels of debt than other students, are more involved in their communities, and they graduate on time.”
The Securing America’s Future: The Power of Liberal Arts Education initiative has included print and digital materials, public speaking events, data and reports, and social media distribution via Twitter (@SmartColleges), YouTube (YouTube.com/LiberalArtsPower)
I encourage you to follow the CIC initiative and share the important word.
