Hamilton, NY — The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has named Colgate University as a ‘Leadership Institution’ for its ‘visionary campus-wide innovations in undergraduate education.’ According to AAC&U, more than 70 applicants entered their national search and the 16 selected represent a range of higher educational institutions. Those selected will join the Greater Expectations Consortium on Quality Education, and could serve as models of best practice for other institutions. The Pew Charitable Trusts and Carnegie Corporation of New York are underwriting the initiative. For a full list of those honored, check AAC&U’s web site: www.aacu-edu.org.
To be considered, Colgate submitted a portfolio describing its longstanding programs and recent innovations in support of integrative learning. An AAC&U evaluator then spent two days on campus meeting with students, faculty, and administrators and reviewing Colgate’s academic offerings and its systematic approach to refining undergraduate education. According to Andrea Leskes, vice president at AAC&U and director of Greater Expectations, ‘The evaluators [‘] spoke very highly of the comprehensive innovative practices in place to support undergraduate student learning. Colgate has been chosen for this recognition because of your visionary design to improve achievement for all students. We firmly believe your faculty and staff will contribute importantly to the work of the Greater Expectations Initiative [‘].’
‘Colgate is delighted to be associated with the AAC&U,’ said Jane Pinchin, the university’s dean of the faculty and provost. ‘It is an organization that has promoted pedagogical innovation and a real responsibility to the state of higher education in the United States today. We are particularly pleased to bring them our newest innovations in conversation with Colgate’s liberal arts core ‘ one of the most distinctive and elegant in the country.’
One measurement used by AAC&U is how the university demonstrates a commitment to a liberal arts education that is relevant to the contemporary world. The core curriculum, one of
Colgate’s signature programs, stood as a significant factor in AAC&U’s decision. Colgate’s core curriculum is dedicated to providing a stimulating, integrated educational experience that empowers students to think through the issues that will confront them for the rest of their lives. Colgate’s liberal arts core is also one of the nation’s longest running and most vigorous programs of general education.
AAC&U also looked for innovation in pedagogy. Colgate’s strong and skilled teaching faculty distinguished itself. The university’s extensive off- and on-campus study programs, taught and led by Colgate University faculty members, and recent innovations in linked courses were proposed as models of how successful and innovative liberal arts teaching can be put into practice.
Even with this latest recognition, Colgate will continue to explore how it can further distinguish its programs by discovering new ways to structure and link programs promoting contextual learning. Most recently, Colgate University issued a planning document that outlines four areas where the university will invest resources and energy in the coming decade. For a full text of this planning document, open web link: http://www.colgate.edu/planning/
According to Colgate University President Charles Karelis: ‘Since 1819, Colgate University has helped prepare young people to understand the larger significance of the world around them, and to shape their lives accordingly. By pursuing a plan to build on Colgate University’s unusually strong base of existing programs, Colgate University has again been recognized by its peers for its place in the top tier of liberal arts colleges.’
Founded in 1819, Colgate University is a nationally ranked, highly selective, residential, liberal arts college enrolling nearly 2,750 undergraduates. Situated on a rolling 515-acre campus in central New York State, Colgate University attracts students with diverse backgrounds, interests and talents.
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