Eckerd College (FL) led a recent expedition to the summit of Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The expedition—part of a winter-term course in applied leadership and team building—included Eckerd faculty members and students, an Eckerd alumnus, and three business executives.

National Liberal Arts Study

Wabash College’s (IN) Center of Inquiry announced the launch of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, a four-year multimillion-dollar program that is one of the most comprehensive national studies of American higher education. The study will focus on the impact of liberal arts education, exploring how students develop during their college years and how key educational experiences promote this development. Researchers from Wabash and several other institutions will administer a series of student surveys and interviews, as well as conduct campus program/resource analysis at 18 public and private institutions from around the country including CIC members Alma College (MI), Columbia College (SC), Connecticut College (CT), Hamilton College (NY), and Whittier College (CA). Data collection and analysis began in spring 2006 and will conclude in 2010.

Impressive Expeditions

Hamilton College (NY) faculty and students along with researchers from other collaborating U.S. and international institutions completed a month-long research expedition to Antarctica in April. The expedition, aboard the NB Palmer, a massive polar research vessel, is among the very few that include undergraduate student researchers. Led by Eugene Domack, professor of geosciences at Hamilton College, the group explored the Antarctic Peninsula and Larsen B Ice Shelf, a region experiencing greater global warming than almost anywhere else on Earth (the Larsen B Ice Shelf, a glacial area the size of Rhode Island, collapsed in 2002 due to global warming). This research could offer important insight into the worldwide effects of global warming. Information, photos, and daily journal entries from the expedition are available at www.hamilton.edu/antarctica.

University of Dubuque (IA) alumnus Kirk Wolfinger and a documentary/discovery team made international headlines during an expedition to the legendary Titanic. The team discovered two new pieces of the ship’s hull, scattered outside the known debris field at 12,400 feet below sea level. Many historians, marine architects, and engineers agree this is the most significant discovery since the wreck was located, and could reshape current understanding of how the ship broke apart in its final moments. The underwater discovery, filmed by Wolfinger’s documentary group in collaboration with On the Bottom Productions, aired in February on The History Channel’s “Deep Sea Detectives.” Information and video clips are available at www.titanic2006.com.

Competitive Program Winners

CIC institutions do extremely well when applying to prestigious national programs. For example, nine out of 46 persons selected to participate in the 2006 Frye Leadership Institute are CIC faculty members and administrators. This intensive, two-week residential program will be held at Emory University (GA), and is cosponsored by EDUCAUSE and the Council on Library and Information Resources. Participants will have the opportunity to explore and analyze leadership challenges within higher education and interact with some of the field’s finest colleagues. Selected CIC participants include: Vincent Boisselle of Trinity College (CT), Billie Dodge of Washington College (MD), Rachel Frick of University of Richmond (VA), Layne Nordgren of Pacific Lutheran University (WA), L. Jason Parkhill of Washington & Jefferson College (PA), Rebecca Peterson of Lesley University (MA), Michael Richichi of Drew University (NJ), Suzanne Risley of Mitchell College (CT), and Jorge Sosa Ortega of The American University of Paris.

In addition, 13 students from CIC institutions were among only 200 selected (from 2,500 qualified applications) to receive scholarships for intensive overseas language study. The participants will conduct study during summer 2006 in critical-need foreign languages such as Arabic, Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish, and Urdu, as a result of receiving Critical Language Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). This U.S. government program is an effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical-need foreign languages. The selected students from CIC institutions are Laura Hernandez of DePaul University (IL), Jennifer Malkoun of Goucher College (MD), Tyler Logan of Hamilton College (NY), Katharine Duckett of Hampshire College (MA), Melendy Krantz of Ithaca College (NY), Micaela French of Marlboro College (VT), Karen Frost of Mount Holyoke College (MA), Cody Olander of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Amzie Pavlisin of Oberlin College (OH), Stephen Souvall of University of Puget Sound (WA), Rachel Trego of Wheaton College (MA), and Christopher Rosson of William Jewell College (MO).

Students at Ursuline College (OH) help President Diana Stano (center) move into her new dorm room. Stano spent the spring semester living among college juniors and seniors in the campus dorm, as a firsthand way to learn about her students. “My goal was to have an open-door policy and enrich the lives of our students,” said Stano. “I wanted to know what’s on their minds.”

Publishing Ventures

New England College (NH) announced the formation of New England College Press. The new academic press will publish books of academic distinction, worthy of remaining on the backlist many years, and will be led by Robert Ginna, former editor at Little, Brown and Company. The goals of the press are to make an important contribution to the arts and sciences and address pressing societal needs, while furthering recognition of New England College and its resources.

A new online publication, Minds in the Making, was recently launched by Calvin College (MI) (www.calvin.edu/minds). This “e-collection” of articles, essays, and reflections by Calvin faculty, staff, students, and alumni, is posted quarterly and is organized into seven categories: arts and literature, history, education, lifestyle, nation and world, religion and philosophy, and science and technology. Article topics have included intelligent design, voting in South Africa, reality TV, and Hurricane Katrina, among others. Some of the articles are only published on Minds, however many have been previously published both by the College and by other publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, and Academe. Minds also features slide shows, audio files, web log entries, and book excerpts.

Creating Partnerships

Several CIC institutions have enhanced their academic effectiveness by collaborating with other colleges or organizations. In South Dakota and Iowa, five CIC institutions—Augustana College (SD), Mount Marty College (SD), Dordt College (IA), Buena Vista University (IA), and Briar Cliff University (IA)—have partnered with three other regional colleges and universities to form the Northern Plains Undergraduate Research Center (NPURC), a partnership that fosters undergraduate scientific research by allowing first-year and sophomore undergraduate students to participate in research activities at any of the NPURC partner institutions. NPURC is funded through a nearly $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. And in another science-related collaboration, Wheaton College (MA) has partnered with an international research team to conduct an important genome research project. Collaborating with an international network of 300 scientists, Wheaton biology professors and more than 20 biology students will help decode the gene sequence of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a purple sea urchin with embryonic development similar to human embryonic development. The project may yield vital evolutionary clues and potential medical breakthroughs.

Many institutions find international partnerships beneficial. Aquinas College (MI) has partnered with Rotary International, a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders providing humanitarian service, in order to discuss the distribution of portable water filtration systems to undeveloped countries. In 2000, one in five or 1.1 billion people in developing nations did not have “reasonable access to safe drinking water” (The Worldwatch Institute), causing increased risk of illness and infectious disease. Chowan University (NC) has formed an Academic Exchange Agreement with Seoul Cyber University, one of the leading online universities in South Korea. The partnership—the first academic exchange agreement for both universities—allows the exchange of students, academic information, and other activities.

St. Edward’s University’s (TX) Professional Education Center has become a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a designation that gives early access to information about new Microsoft offerings, special training programs, and support services. St. Edward’s is only the second university in the country to receive this designation. Marylhurst University (OR) has partnered with several local community colleges to create a co-admission agreement allowing graduating students at the community colleges to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Marylhurst. Lewis University’s (IL) College of Nursing and Health Professions has partnered with a local medical center to hold classes onsite at the medical center. Many nurses from the medical center are enrolled in the Nursing and Health Professions program. The onsite classes provide an added convenience and a high-quality facility for the students.

Announcing New Programs

Numerous CIC institutions have expanded their academic offerings with new degree programs. Chowan University (NC) will offer a bachelor’s degree in church music; Alverno College (WI) and Whitworth College (WA) will each establish a master’s degree in business administration; Waynesburg College (PA) will offer a master’s degree in special education; Warner Southern College (FL) has announced a new web-based master’s degree in management; Pace University (NY) announced plans to establish a master’s program in acting, playwriting, and directing, building on its role as host of the Emmy-nominated TV show “Inside the Actor’s Studio”; and Sterling College (KS) will offer a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts.

New majors also have been announced. Newberry College (SC) will offer pre-veterinary studies; Villa Julie College (MD) has added a new public history major; and University of Saint Mary (KS) has announced a new criminology major. In addition, Otterbein College (OH) has begun offering graduate-level, distance-learning nursing courses; Green Mountain College (VT) will offer two new study-abroad opportunities in Brazil and Argentina; and West Virginia Wesleyan College has offered a mine safety course. The decision followed the Sago mine disaster, during which 13 miners were trapped (12 perished) in a West Virginia coal mine explosion in January 2006. The Sago disaster was the worst West Virginia mining disaster in more than 35 years. Students in the College’s course researched mine safety, analyzed accident reports, and compiled a list of mine safety reform recommendations that were sent to the governor’s Sago investigation team. The course provided a combination of education and service in response to a nationally prominent current event.

Two CIC institutions have launched innovative business development programs. University of Evansville (IN) has announced a new business ventures competition for its students. The competition—which provides start-up funding and business connections, as well as incentives for locating the winning business in the Evansville area—is expected to generate local economic growth by recruiting new business talent and encouraging businesses to operate near the University. Cedarville University (OH) launched the Business Incubator, a program that helps Cedarville undergraduates start their own business while enrolled at the university. The Business Incubator will locate start-up businesses on Cedarville’s campus in their initial years and provides operational and faculty resources, in hopes that the students will continue to run those businesses after graduation.

Celebrating Achievements

Mount St. Mary’s College (CA) nursing program alumna Vivian Burgess has been honored with a Papal medal. Pope Benedict XVI conferred the Honor of Dame Commander in the Order of the Knights of St. Gregory upon Burgess. Given for “unblemished character” and for service to the Catholic Church and society, it is the highest honor a layperson may receive in the Catholic Church.

The wrestling team of Augsburg College (MN) was invited to the White House to meet President Bush in the Oval Office. The team has won a record nine NCAA Division III national titles. A total of 14 Augsburg individuals attended, including the team’s head coach, eight of the ten team members, and President William Frame. Augsburg’s wrestling team is the first Division III wrestling team to meet with the President at the White House.

International Activities

Eleven CIC institutions—Lynn University (FL), University of Richmond (VA), Ithaca College (NY), Loyola College in Maryland, Lee University (TN), College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University (MN), Calvin College (MI), Illinois Wesleyan University, Concordia College (MN), and Messiah College (PA)—recently ranked in the top 20 among American colleges and universities in the number of students who study abroad. The rankings were released in the Open Doors 2005 report by the Institute of International Education (IIE), an international exchange organization that conducts study abroad research. Institutions were categorized by type (doctoral, master’s, and baccalaureate). According to the IIE report, study abroad among U.S. institutions increased nearly 10 percent during the past year, with rapid growth in non-traditional destinations such as China and India, where American students see potential career opportunities.

Benedictine University (IL) sent 11 students to Mexico to study industrial facilities, living standards, and global business conditions. Arranged by the University’s International Business Department in partnership with a nonprofit company specializing in “reality tours,” the students spent several days meeting with Mexican and U.S. representatives, talking to Mexican residents, and interviewing factory workers. Students spent significant time studying the complex effects of international business decisions on Mexico, including the detrimental outcomes of business focused only on cheap labor and bottom-line results.

A flurry of international activities is underway at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (OH). The University recently hosted seven Korean students as part of its first-ever American Language and Culture Experience (ALCE) certificate program. The University presented an “Islamic Encounters” lecture series, meant to increase collaborative and community-building relationships with Muslims. And the University will send a medical missions team (consisting of students, alumni, a professor, and a physician) to Nicaragua in July 2006 to distribute medical care to those in need. In January 2007, the University will host an educational tour of Biblical Turkey and Greece.

And Walsh University (OH) has hosted two Middle Eastern speakers—a former Palestinian terrorist and an Israeli scholar. Palestinian Ibrahim Abdullah spoke to students and faculty about the importance of peace and tolerance in the Middle East. He talked about his conversion from Fatah radical to peace activist and discussed his new book, Why I Left Jihad. Israeli Avraham Rozenkier shared his experience as an Israeli scholar and author of numerous articles on socialism, politics, and Middle East conflict. He talked about current Israeli affairs and the perspective of the Israeli people. Abdullah and Rozenkier were brought to campus as part of a program to facilitate international and multicultural understanding.

Campaign Success

Two CIC institutions successfully concluded record-setting capital campaigns. Westminster College (MO) completed Campaign for Westminster, a five-year campaign (originally established with a $40 million goal) that raised $80 million for state-of-the-art facilities, scholarships, endowed chairs, and campus enhancements. Milligan College’s (TN) Campaign for Christian Leadership, the largest capital campaign in the college’s history, raised $30 million over five years and provided more than 50 new student scholarships and endowed funds, strengthened the endowment, led to campus facility improvements, and created two dozen new academic and student life initiatives.

Juniata College (PA) has opened the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts, an $8.3 million facility that provides cutting-edge classrooms, teaching spaces, and a state-of-the-art octagonal theater.

Announcing Gifts and Grants

Northeastern Pennsylvania colleges and universities—including College Misericordia, King’s College, Marywood University, University of Scranton, and Wilkes University—received a $15 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant to establish Wall Street West, a backup to Wall Street in northeastern Pennsylvania. The grant was awarded to the Pennsylvania region due to its ideal location—close to the New York financial services world, yet far enough away from major cities and using separate power grids and water sources to avoid major disaster. Local businesses and educational institutions will be awarded portions of the grant to create, train, and operate the network of backup financial facilities and systems. The grant is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Other CIC institutions have received sizeable gifts and grants. University of the Ozarks (AR) received $20 million from Helen Walton, widow of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. The gift helps launch a $40 million Promise of Excellence campaign, which will be used for academic programs, professorships, and the general endowment. Chapman University (CA) received a $10 million gift from Chapman trustee Roger C. Hobbs to fund the Roger C. Hobbs Institute for Real Estate, Law, and Environmental Studies. A $6 million gift from an anonymous donor to University of the South (TN) will fund a state-of-the-art addition to Sewanee’s Woods Laboratories science building.

Shenandoah University (VA) received a $3 million gift from Gerald Halpin and family to help complete construction of the university’s business school. Hollins University (VA) was presented with a $2 million gift from the Frank Batten family to endow the University’s Leadership Institute, which provides cocurricular programs (skills workshops, seminars, action projects, and leadership labs) focusing on students’ personal, interpersonal, and intellectual development. A $2 million gift to McDaniel College (MD) from commercial real estate developer Leroy Merritt will support construction of a new fitness center on campus. Tabor College (KS) received the largest gift in the college’s history—nearly $1.25 million from Joel Wiens to build athletic facilities and student housing. And the largest grant ever received by Villa Julie College (MD), $1 million from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission’s Nursing Support Program II, will expand the college’s already successful nursing program.

Other grants are enabling institutions to undertake important projects. Waynesburg College (PA) received a $500,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Justice to research and develop an Electronic Crime Prevention and Investigation (ECPI) curriculum, and Palm Beach Atlantic University’s (FL) $500,000 grant from Quantum Foundation (a local health care grant-making organization) will fund a pharmacy program for health clinics serving underserved and uninsured Palm Beach County residents.

Building New Facilities

Rivier College (NH) completed the McLean Center for Finance and Economics. Modeled to simulate a real-world trading room, the Center provides a visual, dynamic training ground on campus to teach real-time finance, economics, and investment decision- making. It features modern computers for Internet access and financial trading; a 40-inch LCD monitor broadcasting world headline news and financial market data; and an eight-foot ticker with scrolling real-time financial data from multiple sources such as the NYSE, NASDAQ, DJIA, and S&P 500.

A renovated $6.5 million student center at Converse College (SC) will become the campus student life hub. The Montgomery Student Center houses a cyber café, game room, office spaces, student government organizations, fitness center, chapel, post office, lounges, and multipurpose rooms, among other features.

And Pacific Lutheran University (WA) opened the Morken Center for Learning and Technology, a $21 million, 53,137-square-foot facility housing the School of Business, math and computer departments, and engineering and science facilities. Built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the environmentally-sustainable building houses wireless computer-equipped classrooms, laboratories, multimedia labs, project workrooms, an atrium, a café, and a public events room. The entire building process can be viewed from start to finish in time-lapse video on the campus website: www.plu.edu/~morken/home.html.

Changing Status

Chowan University (NC) recently changed its status from college to university.