Annual Report 2006-2007 - The Council of Independent Colleges

integrating professionaL and LiBeraL education
Report of a Symposium on the Liberal Arts and Business, May 2007
By David C. Paris
Promoting High-Quality education
The Council of Independent Colleges supports practical, sustainable,
and cost-effective ways to raise the quality of education. CIC’s variety
of initiatives and programs help bring distinguished visiting fellows
to campuses; facilitate business and liberal arts connections; assist
in language learning; support graduate studies; strengthen libraries;
improve teaching and research in critical fields of study; serve campus
leaders in addressing student learning; provide professional development
opportunities; and connect campuses with communities, among
other purposes.
Bringing Distinguished Visiting
Fellows to Campuses
Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows Program—CIC was selected in
2007 by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation to
administer its nationally renowned Visiting Fellows program. The
Council formally begins administration of the program in January
2008. The Visiting Fellows program brings distinguished nonacademic
visitors to liberal arts colleges and universities for week-long residencies.
Created by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
in 1973, the program has offered students and faculty members at
hundreds of colleges and universities, particularly those with limited
access to guest speakers and visiting faculty, opportunities to learn from
business and nonprofit executives, diplomats, public officials, and prizewinning
journalists, writers, and artists. Over the years, countless CIC
institutions have taken advantage of the opportunity to host visiting
fellows through this program.
Facilitating Business and Liberal
Arts Connections, Assisting in
Language Learning
Business and the Liberal Arts Symposium—For the second time,
CIC held a symposium to explore a range of innovative programs
that successfully blend professional preparation for business careers
and liberal arts education. With support from the James S. Kemper
Foundation, CIC initiated the symposium series out of concern that
the proportion of students graduating with degrees in the liberal arts
continues to decline, while professional programs grow in popularity.
Building on the work begun during a 2003 symposium, which
brought together ten corporate leaders and ten college and university
presidents to address the connections between liberal arts education
and professional leadership, faculty members participating in the 2007
symposium shared their best practices and identified programs that
might serve as models for other institutions wishing to bring together
these often divergent educational paths. The 2007 Business and Liberal
Arts Symposium was held May 3–5 in Chicago, Illinois, and included
faculty members from Augustana College (IL), Birmingham-Southern
College (AL), Bridgewater College (VA), Christian Brothers University
(TN), College of St. Catherine (MN), Dominican University (IL),
Emory & Henry College (VA), Franklin Pierce University (NH),
Hanover College (IN), Hendrix College (AR), Manchester College
(IN), Mars Hill College (NC), Oklahoma City University (OK), Ripon
College (WI), Shenandoah University (VA), Southwestern University
(TX), Sweet Briar College (VA), The College of Idaho (ID), Thomas
College (ME), University of Evansville (IN), University of Puget Sound
(WA), University of Richmond (VA), University of St. Thomas (TX),
and Ursinus College (PA).
Business and the LiBeraL arts:
In fall 2007, CIC published Business and the
Liberal Arts: Integrating Professional and Liberal
Education, a report that showcases many of
the most innovative programs discussed at the
symposium and offers recommendations for
action on individual campuses to combine more
effectively liberal arts education with preparation
for business careers.
Network for Effective Language Learning—Seven campus teams
participating in CIC’s new Network for Effective Language Learning
(NELL) met for the first week-long meeting on July 9–13, 2007, at
Drake University (IA) to explore innovative approaches to foreign
language learning. CIC initiated NELL to assist small and mid-sized
private colleges and universities in improving language learning and
offering more languages, especially in critical languages such as Chinese,
Japanese, and Arabic, to meet the needs of the 21st century student.
Schreiner University, TX
2006–2007 Annual Report •