ACTC: A Growing Liberal Arts Professional Association
ACTC has been steadily growing since its inception, thirteen years
ago. Since ACTC piloted its ACTC Liberal Arts Institute in 2003
at the University of Dallas and moved it to Saint Mary’s College
of California in Moraga, ACTC has seen enormous growth in activities
and participation.
In 2006, ACTC held both its largest annual (spring) conference
ever, attracting 290 participants from 120 institutions, but it
also held its first-ever (fall) special topics conference: “Trends
in the Liberal Arts Core: Bridging the Gap Between the Humanities
and Sciences.” We addressed a plenary session of the Association
for Integrative Studies on our initiatives in building teams of
scientists and humanists in core curricular development, and visited
many campuses where faculty and administrators were seeking to build
and strengthen core text, liberal arts education. A record five
institutions decided to co-sponsor the 2007 conference in Williamsburg,
Virginia: Hampden-Sydney College, Averett University, James Madison
University, Lynchburg College, and Norfolk State University.
Thanks to the sponsorship and voluntary efforts of faculty and
staff from Benedictine University and co-sponsorship of Shimer College
and the Great Books Foundation, ACTC saw a record attendance of
institutional representatives from North American, South American,
and European Institutions, at its annual conference in Chicago.
Nearly 120 institutions of higher learning joined us, including
institutions from as far away as Colombia and the Netherlands, as
well as an increased number of community colleges. ACTC is deeply
grateful for the help of our sponsors and co-sponsor in bringing
about the conference in one of the leading core text cities on the
continent.
Similarly impressive was the first ACTC special topics, “Trends
in the Liberal Arts Core” conference, held near the Saint Mary’s
campus. “Trends” brought together teams of scientists and humanists
from over 50 institutions to discuss a growing trend in liberal
arts, core text education: matched or team-taught humanities and
science core courses, involving core texts and innovative teaching
strategies, which addressed the need of citizens of Canada and the
United States to understand and think productively about the relations
between the sciences and humanities. ACTC presented the fruits of
its 25-year, 81-institution longitudinal study, “Trends in the Liberal
Arts Core: A Vision for the 21st Century,” and its three-year NEH
Exemplary Education project: “Bridging the Gap Between the Humanities
and the Sciences: An Exemplary Education Project in Core Texts.”
Teams from Fresno Pacific University, Benedictine University, Kentucky
State University, Saint Bonaventure University, James Madison University,
Boston University, Drury University, Seton Hall University, and
Samford University presented outcomes of both the Trends and Bridging
project to conference participants. Other participants presented
papers on the advancement of liberal arts education, particularly
in Bridging-like projects, at their institutions. A publication
is planned.
2004 and 2005 saw steady growth in ACTC activities. The Institute,
after a successful piloting at Dallas moved to Saint Mary’s College
of California. There, ACTC held the third year of the Bridging the
Gap Project, plus is second, core text continental student conference.
Cooperating with the Cherokee Heritage Center of Tahlequah, Oklahoma,
ACTC successfully applied for two other grants from NEH: "Wiping
Away the Tears: Renewing Cherokee Culture and American History through
the Cherokee Heritage Center and the Trail of Tears" and a
website effort based on Wiping Away the Tears. Both grants brought
experts in Cherokee core text history and American history to bear
on seminars, curricula, and lesson plans for high school education.
Successful conferences in Dallas and Vancouver emphasized ACTC’s
appeal to faculty and administrators throughout the continent who
wish to build liberal arts, core text courses and programs.
2002-2003 represented a “quantum leap” in ACTC’s growth. We opened
the ACTC Liberal Arts Institute at the University of Dallas (UD),
through the conception of the Executive Director and the institutional
persuasiveness and foresight of Tom Lindsay, provost. ACTC held
an international planning meeting to chart the best course of prospective
action for the Institute. ACTC won its first major grant from the
National Endowment from the Humanities, the largest “Exemplary Education”
award ($ 229,000 for three years) from that agency during the year.
We inaugurated a new President, Phil Sloan, who immediately began
to contribute to the planning meeting and the development and execution
of the NEH “Bridging the Gap” grant, as well as delivering a highly
regarded inaugural address at our largest conference. ACTC continued
its national study of general liberal education, “Trends in the
Liberal Arts Core.”
The growth and success of ACTC has depended every year of its existence
on the voluntary spirit of women and men dedicated to making the
conference come alive for the membership of ACTC. And each year,
as institutions offer to sponsor the conference, they build on the
successes of previous institutions’ sponsorship. No less was true
in 2002-2003 and in the many years that have led to recent success.
Mercer University put together a terrific team of volunteers to
sponsor our April annual conference. Led by Charlotte (Charlie)
Thomas, Mercer’s team of Mary Ann Drake, Randy Harshberger, Gregory
Sapp, and Bobbi Shipley were a superb demonstration of dedication
to planning for and recruiting for the conference. Similarly engaged
were co-sponsoring institutions Oglethorpe University and Oxford
College of Emory University. Alan Woolfolk approached ACTC at the
conference last year offering to co-sponsor and Gretchen Schulz
was equally enthusiastic for her Oxford College at Emory to co-sponsor.
Alan headed a team of Oglethorpe faculty who, including Joseph Knippenberg
and Jason Wirth, have been long-time attendees and supporters. Gretchen
did yeoman’s work, with the support of her Dean Dana Greene and
Associate Dean Kent Linville.
Through individual memberships, men and women of ACTC have continued
their support as strongly as ever. As if in confirmation of that
trend, more than 65 institutions will have contributed in 2006-07
to ACTC, our largest number of institutional contributors yet. Leading
among these are five institutions which have formed the ACTC Liberal
Arts Institute Consortium: Saint Mary’s College of California, Benedictine
University, Pepperdine University and St. Johns College, and Boston
University. Without that institutional support the conference and
published proceedings that emerge from it would not be possible,
and without the Consortium the infrastructure and development of
future projects for ACTC institutions would not be possible. In
sum, ACTC is thankful and gratified by this strong show of support.
Our deepest thanks to all.
ACTC encourages individuals and institutions to support ACTC’s
efforts to build better liberal education. Interested parties may
contact may follow the links to Institutional Members, to see our
list of contributing institutions, or to Join to support ACTC as
either an individual, an institution, or as a Consortium member.
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