Director's Welcome

The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) has been advancing the cause of liberal arts and sciences education in a public college setting for more than two decades. Our 27 member institutions combine student-centered teaching in small classes with innovative curricula and student life programming. Distinctive among state-supported colleges and universities, COPLAC campuses are small-to-medium sized and the focus is primarily on undergraduate education.

As Director, one of my roles is to develop stronger internal programming for students, faculty and staff. We are now in the sixth year of hosting summer faculty institutes on liberal learning in the disciplines. In the coming year, new partnerships across member campuses will allow for semester and year-long student and faculty exchanges, shared study abroad programs, regional undergraduate research conferences, and theme-based summer seminar opportunities. When students enroll at a COPLAC institution, they join a dynamic and inclusive community of public liberal art institutions across the U.S. and Canada.

In an era of escalating costs for higher education, COPLAC colleges and universities combine an egalitarian concern for access with academic rigor. The mission of COPLAC is not just to provide higher education for students who otherwise could not afford it, but a transformative liberal arts education commensurate with that offered by North America's finest private colleges. An education in the great tradition of the liberal arts and sciences remains, we believe, the best preparation for a meaningful life and professional career.

Thank you for visiting our website.

Bill Spellman
Director
Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges

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