Meeting the Challenge: - The Council of Independent Colleges

John R. Thelin
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the small colleges often reduced or abolished
their course requirements in religion and moral philosophy.
the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, founded
in 1976.
In an earlier era, the religious identity of the colleges
had been defined by formal features, such as legal ownership,
control of governance, and financial dependence. By the end
of the 20 th century, however, that identity was more often
characterized by a historic commitment, a shared mission,
and an enduring commitment to a particular faith and set
of values.
An underappreciated phenomenon of the period
that began in the early 1970s was the self-scrutiny small
independent colleges applied to their campus operations as
they rethought the interconnections of form, function, and
philosophy. No less than a managerial revolution enabled
these colleges to collect the data they needed to make
thoughtful decisions after careful deliberations. A number
of colleges underwent rigorous reviews in order to redirect
the campus from inertia to energy. The transformations
could permeate an entire campus—ranging from admissions,
financial aid, fundraising, and alumni affairs, to purchasing
and the maintenance of buildings and grounds. Even the
traditional academic calendar was scrutinized.
Could the college save substantially on its energy
consumption by starting the first semester earlier in late
August, and ending it earlier in late December Did closing
the library between midnight and 8:00 a.m. necessarily
squelch learning Which educational practices promoted
student retention—or avoided wasted time and effort Scores
of such questions, combined with systematic data, allowed
every campus constituency to reconsider academic business
as usual. Among CIC members, institutional decisions about
financial and enrollment concerns took markedly different
forms. Mount Holyoke College, for example, gained national
publicity in the 1980s for a strategy to increase its pool of
academically strong applicants by raising tuition and increasing
its need-based financial aid awards. Muskingum College
of Ohio took an opposite tack in the 1990s as it opted to
reduce its tuition charges in order to increase the number of
applications. Each approach worked for that college.
Ironically, small colleges are often stereotyped
as captives of inertia and tradition when, in fact, they
behave quite differently. Managerial changes have been
accompanied by remarkably enterprising initiatives. This
has been especially evident in development and fundraising,
as presidents and development officers have worked hard
to tell the story of the small college to alumni, donors, and
foundations. One result is that independent colleges were
especially effective in keeping college affordable during
the 1980s and 1990s, both by containing expenses and by
providing generous student financial aid.
31