Meeting the Challenge: - The Council of Independent Colleges

Welch Suggs
“The belief in mutual self-help was deep-seated in CIC’s history and the common
missions of members made group activities flourish. CIC became a place where
the action was and this new level of visibility attracted members.”
–Allen Splete, CIC President, 1986–2000
or fewer. Nor did it mean that the Council was trying to
compete with other higher education associations. Instead,
Quehl said in a news release at the time, “it simply means
that a new name will assist us in…becoming the national
service association for most of the nation’s small independent
undergraduate colleges.”
As noted, CASC/CIC’s membership began growing
very quickly in the 1970s. After leveling off somewhat in
the 1980s, it began growing again under Allen Splete’s twopronged
strategy of visiting the campuses of member and
nonmember institutions alike as well as convincing CIC
presidents to recruit their peers. “I recall conversations in
many a campus president’s office,” Splete recalled recently.
“I discussed current trends in higher education and possible
opportunities as well as news from Washington. They
countered with local examples and issues. The fact that I cared
enough to visit left many dumbfounded.”
Splete also noted that “the common denominator I
found most useful when assuming the presidency dealt with
the word ‘values’ that was in one way or another embedded
in the missions of all CIC members. Whether they were
in the business of creating, sustaining, or responding to
values—it was always at the heart of the academic enterprise.
This, I think, remains a unique aspect of their being today.”
And CIC’s unique ability to bring together
leaders from similar institutions to solve mutual concerns
contributed to CIC’s continued growth, Splete says. “The
belief in mutual self-help was deep-seated in CIC’s history
and the common missions of members made group activities
flourish. CIC became a place where the action was and this
new level of visibility attracted members.”
Another CIC program launched in 1977 remains
popular today and is a key attraction for new members. The
CIC Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP) is a network
of colleges and universities willing to accept, tuition-free,
students from families of full-time employees of other CIC-
TEP institutions. The goal of CIC-TEP was to create a
true-access program, without any costly fees or cumbersome
1977
The CASC Tuition Exchange
Program (now CIC-TEP) is launched
as a network of CIC colleges and
universities willing to accept,
tuition-free, students from families
of full-time employees of other
CIC-TEP institutions.
1979
Project QUE (Quality Undergraduate Education), a
faculty-development program is launched. Over six
years, a network of foundations led by the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation provides $4 million in funding.
71