Meeting the Challenge: - The Council of Independent Colleges

Serving Students Well: Independent Colleges Today
another for students “who did not know whether they have
any faith at all,” says Haddad. “The purpose was to help them
find their spirituality.”
As part of its mission, Loyola has established a
Center for Values and Service that sends students into the
community to help people in need. A student might tutor
a woman trying to earn her GED diploma, or volunteer at
a Baltimore agency that works to prevent lead poisoning
in children, or serve as a Big Brother/Big Sister. Haddad
explains that students are told beforehand that the experience
will teach them a great deal about life—they should go
forward feeling “solidarity as a human being” with those
they help. Once students complete their community service
projects, they share their experience with peers and discuss
how it relates to the development of their own spirituality.
The service activities at Loyola and scores of other
small and mid-sized colleges benefit both students and the
communities beyond the campus. They also help build a
greater sense of community on campus as students unite
around common experiences. This sense of community is a
defining characteristic of CIC member institutions. In the
words of Alverno’s President Mary Meehan, “We are a learning
community and we are all here to support each other.”
Conclusion
Goucher College President Sanford Ungar describes his
institution as “increasingly a place for individuals. It is hard
to come up with a stereotype of the Goucher student.” The
same can be said about the diverse members of the Council
of Independent Colleges. Despite the many things they have
in common as small and mid-sized liberal arts institutions,
each college or university has its own, unique DNA.
But just as the individuality of each person
cannot negate our shared humanity, the individuality of
CIC members cannot negate what the institutions have
in common. The CIC members share a commitment to
private undergraduate liberal arts education. They share a
belief that good teaching should be valued. They share an
understanding that small classes and the close, continuous
interaction between students and teachers are fundamental
parts of a high-quality education. Though diverse in many
ways, they are driven by the common mission to serve their
students—and to serve them well.
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