The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) recently received a $61,500 grant from the James S. Kemper Foundation to support a symposium and publication on liberal arts colleges and the corporate community. The one-year grant will assist CIC in designing and implementing a full-day symposium focusing on how the leadership in both the corporate community and at independent higher education institutions can learn from each other and benefit from a better understanding of the relevance of the liberal arts to business.
    "This grant will help CIC and leaders of independent colleges and universities develop a persuasive case for why a liberal arts education should be at the center of a student's higher education experience," said CIC President Richard Ekman. "In the wake of the events of September 11, a liberal arts education that promotes critical thinking, substantive knowledge, sensitivity to different cultures and languages, civic responsibility, and the ability to make informed judgments is needed more than ever. More, not less, is needed in education to assess information presented by the media, to develop sensibilities that serve as a bulwark against narrow-mindedness, and to nurture a sense of justice."
    "We are very pleased to fund this project," said Thomas Hellie, Executive Director of the Kemper Foundation. "A liberal arts education prepares creative, ethical leaders for business careers, and we believe that CIC will provide an excellent forum for promoting genuine dialogue between private colleges and major corporations. I believe that both sectors can learn from each other, and I hope that they will jointly make the case for independent higher education."
    The major activity supported by the grant will be a national symposium hosted by CIC in the summer of 2003 that will seek to convey the importance and practicality of scholarship support from corporations, provide a better understanding of the appropriate balance between liberal arts and business courses, and enhance the student recruitment efforts by businesses of liberal arts graduates. Among the questions to be raised: What is the connection between the liberal arts and economic development of a community and/or the nation? How does a liberal arts education prepare students for the greater flexibility and breadth of knowledge required by today's economy? Does a liberal arts education actually prepare individuals to be lifelong learners? How do businesses create productive learning environments for employees? And how can a liberal arts education provide the foundation for individuals to become genuine leaders—that is, to help students assess and take rational risks, to learn how to make difficult decisions involving multiple variables, to appreciate diversity, to analyze and evaluate information when one is barraged with information every day, and to act courageously to defend what they believe?
    The Council will also publish a report on the discussions and findings of the national symposium and will explore the possibility of hosting regional mini-symposia on these same issues that will include the participation of college and university board chairs.

Independent
The Council of Independent Colleges
One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 320 • Washington, DC 20036
tel: (202) 466-7230 • Fax: (202) 466-7238 • e-mail: mailto:cic@cicnche.edu • www.cic.edu

Last updated: July 10, 2002
Copyright © 2002 The Council of Independent Colleges