Building an Evolutionary Studies Program at a Small Liberal Arts College

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-40
Author(s):  
Susan M. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Student Involvement ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Evolutionary Studies ◽  
Minor Degree ◽  
Small Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
A Minor

Since the very nature of an Evolutionary Studies program is interdisciplinary, it stands to reason that building such a program at any institution would entail the involvement of several disciplines across the curriculum. The fewer faculty members, course offerings, and resources at small liberal arts colleges can pose as obstacles in the development of such a program. However, by reaching out to the few faculty members teaching evolutionary studies, the first step of its development began. From there, both the involvement of other disciplines and a heightened student, faculty, and administrative awareness was needed. Instrumental components in building this program have included speaker events, student participation at evolutionary conferences and workshops, student involvement in research, and the development of new courses and a minor degree. This chapter discusses the successes and barriers in developing an interdisciplinary Evolutionary Studies program at a small liberal arts college.

“The Classics Tuning Project”: Competencies, Value and Visibility of the Classics at Small Liberal Arts Colleges

2019 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-505
Author(s):  
Clara Hardy ◽  
Lisl Walsh ◽  
John Gruber-Miller ◽  
Sanjaya Thakur ◽  
Angela Ziskowski
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Small Liberal Arts Colleges

Institutional Commitment to Diversity and Multiculturalism through Institutional Transformation: A Case Study of Olivet College

2002 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evon Walters
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Institutional Transformation ◽  
Institutional Commitment ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
American Council On Education ◽  
American Students ◽  
Changing Demographics

Olivet College is a private, residential liberal arts college in central Michigan that enrolls approximately 900 students. The College was founded in 1844 by abolitionists and was the first college in the nation, by charter, to open to women and people of color. Yet, over the last two decades Olivet College failed to acknowledge changing demographics and problems of intergroup relations. In 1992, a racial brawl involving White and African-American students put the college into crisis. The incident launched the college into a process of reassessment and redefinition that resulted in a major institutional transformation. Diversity was a major part of this initiative. As a result of its success in infusing multiculturalism into its structure, Olivet College was recently selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as a Model Institution for its diversity initiatives. Additionally, it was selected as one of 35 institutions out of 675 nationwide to participate in President Clinton's initiative on race and was spotlighted by the American Council on Education for its exemplary work in infusing diversity across the campus. This article presents all aspects of Olivet College's diversity initiative including mission, curriculum, co-curriculum, students, faculty, and staff. These strategies are applicable not only to small private liberal arts colleges, but to other institutions of learning as they attempt to create an action plan that addresses the challenge of diversity/multiculturalism in the higher education system.

Revising the Declension Narrative: Liberal Arts Colleges, Universities, and Honors Programs, 1870s-2010s

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Kimball
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Honors Programs ◽  
College Mission ◽  
The Past ◽  
Diversity In Higher Education ◽  
Arts Programs ◽  
The U.S

This article examines the prominent narrative asserting that liberal arts colleges have continuously declined in number and status over the past 130 years. Bruce A. Kimball identifies problems in this declension narrative and proposes a revision positing that the decline of liberal arts colleges began only after 1970. Further, he maintains that the fraction of the U.S. population enrolling in collegiate liberal arts programs has remained surprisingly consistent over the past two centuries. That same fraction continues after 1970 because universities began to replicate the liberal arts college by establishing honors programs, and student enrollment after 1970 shifted from liberal arts colleges to the new subsidized honors programs in universities. Kimball concludes that this shift does not ensure that the fraction of enrollment in collegiate liberal arts will continue to remain consistent in the future. There is reason to doubt the long-term commitment of universities to supporting honors programs devoted to the traditional liberal arts college mission of fostering culture, community, and character, although this mission grows more important and complex as access to and diversity in higher education increase.

College Admissions in Twenty-First-Century America: The Role of Grades, Tests, and Games of Chance

2007 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
REBECCA ZWICK
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
College Admissions ◽  
Class Rank ◽  
College Selectivity ◽  
Campus Diversity ◽  
Admissions Policies ◽  
Games Of Chance ◽  
Small Liberal Arts Colleges

In this essay, Rebecca Zwick confronts the controversy surrounding the use of standardized tests in college admissions. She examines the degree to which the SAT and its lesser known cousin, the ACT, limit access to college, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, and considers two alternative admissions policies that do not involve tests: class rank admissions systems and admissions lotteries. She finds that these initiatives carry their own controversies and have little impact on campus diversity. Zwick notes that some small liberal arts colleges have deemphasized tests and have achieved some success in increasing campus diversity while maintaining high academic standards, but highlights the difficulty of replicating these policies at large institutions. Her analysis sheds light on the ongoing tension between maintaining college selectivity and promoting equal opportunity.

scholarly journals The orchid recovery program at Illinois College – a successful blend of teaching, research and undergraduate student participation to benefit orchid conservation

Lankesteriana ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Zettler
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Teaching Load ◽  
Orchid Conservation ◽  
Recovery Program

A decade ago (1996), the Orchid Recovery Program was established at Illinois College – a private liberal arts college – to promote the conservation of rare orchids through propagation. The school’s rural loca- tion, small size (1,000+ undergraduate students), and heavy teaching load (= 12 hours/semester) posed seri- ous challenges to the establishment of this research program. Nevertheless, over the years several aspects of the College were identified, targeted, and integrated to successfully blend the student academic experience with orchid conservation.  

scholarly journals Entomology at Small Liberal Arts Colleges

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-109
Author(s):  
Kirk Larsen ◽  
Carrie L. Hall ◽  
Daniel R. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Small Liberal Arts Colleges
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