29.01.2015 Views

Meeting the Challenge: - The Council of Independent Colleges

Meeting the Challenge: - The Council of Independent Colleges

Meeting the Challenge: - The Council of Independent Colleges

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

From Accreditation to Validation:<br />

CIC’s First Half-Century<br />

by Welch Suggs<br />

Hidden gems. Diamonds in <strong>the</strong> rough. Unsung heroes. Almost<br />

every laudatory phrase uttered about small colleges has two<br />

sides to it. No matter <strong>the</strong> awards won by <strong>the</strong>ir students, <strong>the</strong><br />

lengths <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir faculty members’ curricula vitae, or <strong>the</strong> strengths <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

administrative staffs, independent institutions must overcome <strong>the</strong> stigma<br />

<strong>of</strong> size. Smaller colleges are usually less well-known than land-grant or<br />

Ivy League universities, regardless <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> education and services<br />

<strong>the</strong>y provide.<br />

<strong>The</strong> 50-year history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Council</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Independent</strong> <strong>Colleges</strong><br />

(CIC) is a story <strong>of</strong> helping member colleges and universities find ways<br />

to increase <strong>the</strong>ir visibility and providing <strong>the</strong>m with a broad range<br />

<strong>of</strong> initiatives to improve <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> education and streng<strong>the</strong>n<br />

institutional resources. In its earliest days, what was <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> <strong>Council</strong> for<br />

<strong>the</strong> Advancement <strong>of</strong> Small <strong>Colleges</strong> (CASC) was dedicated to helping<br />

its members raise money and win regional accreditation. Over <strong>the</strong> past<br />

five decades, <strong>the</strong> organization has been transformed into a dynamic<br />

association <strong>of</strong> independent colleges and universities working toge<strong>the</strong>r to<br />

support institutional leadership, advance institutional excellence, and<br />

enhance private higher education’s contributions to society.<br />

63

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!