Graceland University Selected by Council of Independent Colleges as a Participating Institution for Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts Institute

Graceland University is among a group of Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) member institutions selected to send representatives to the second annual Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts Institute in June.

Read the press release below by Laura Wilcox from the CIC for more details on this distinction:

“CIC Selects Participating Institutions for Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts Institute”

(WASHINGTON, DC) Twenty-five CIC member institutions have been selected to participate in the second annual Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts Institute, to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 2–5, 2019. Each institution will send a team of two faculty leaders and two senior administrators. The Institute is designed to help faculty members and administrators address issues of diversity, civility, inclusion and student unrest on campus more effectively.

The Institute is directed by Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College and a leading scholar of race and higher education. During the Institute, prominent humanities and social science scholars will present key research and recent developments in their fields and apply these concepts to understanding student concerns and deepening the educational experience. The goal is to encourage thoughtful campus discussions that engage students’ minds and their emotions.

Each participating college will develop plans to incorporate the Institute content into specific courses, advising and counseling services, and co-curricular activities at their institutions. Debbie Cottrell, vice president for academic affairs at Texas Lutheran University, which participated in 2018’s inaugural Institute, says that “our experience was so helpful…. We are committed to continuing and expanding the initiatives we identified as priorities as part of the Institute, and we are hopeful about the larger impact it will have on our campus.”

Participants for the 2019 Institute were selected through a highly competitive application process. According to CIC President Richard Ekman, “the volume, quality and urgency of the proposals reflect the commitment of independent colleges and universities to promoting diversity and civility, not just on their campuses but across the nation.” 

The Institute is supported by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Participating Institutions:

Augsburg University (MN)
Berea College (KY)
Bridgewater College (VA)
Buena Vista University (IA)
California Lutheran University (CA)
College of Saint Mary (NE)
Curry College (MA)
Eckerd College (FL)
Elmhurst College (IL)
Gettysburg College (PA)
Graceland University (IA)
Illinois College (IL)
Lewis University (IL)
Luther College (IA)
Mars Hill University (NC)
Muskingum University (OH)
North Park University (IL)
Pacific Lutheran University (WA)
Springfield College (MA)
St. John Fisher College (NY)
St. Lawrence University (NY)
Trinity University (TX)
University of Evansville (IN)
Viterbo University (WI)
Wheaton College (MA)

The Institute faculty includes some of the nation’s leading scholars of diversity, higher education, history, social change and political philosophy:

Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy and Law, New York University
David Blight, Class of 1954 Professor of American History, Yale University
Geoffrey Cohen, James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business, Stanford University
Frederick M. Lawrence, legal scholar and secretary, Phi Beta Kappa Society
Roosevelt Montas, director, Center for the Core Curriculum, Columbia University
Julie J. Park, associate professor of Education, University of Maryland
Eboo Patel, founder and president, Interfaith Youth Core
Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, president emerita, Kalamazoo College

The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of 768 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges, and other higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility. It conducts the largest annual conferences of college and university presidents and of chief academic officers in the United States. Founded in 1956, CIC is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.”