President Crutcher leading national campaign to promote liberal education

A nationwide campaign to promote the importance of liberal education in sustaining America's competitiveness and its democratic values will be led by Wheaton President Ronald A. Crutcher and a senior official at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The campaign, Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP), is an initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The effort is aimed at championing the value of an engaged and practical liberal education in equipping all students to be effective players and active citizens in today's world.

President Crutcher and Peggy O'Brien, senior vice president, Educational Programming and Services, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, will co-chair the campaign's National Leadership Council. They will be joined by leaders from higher education, philanthropy, business, media and public policy. They include Derek Bok, Harvard's president emeritus and soon-to-be interim president, UMass President Jack M. Wilson, Blenda J. Wilson president & CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and James F. Orr, III board chair of The Rockefeller Foundation.

The LEAP campaign focuses on ensuring that by college graduation, all students achieve:

* Strong analytic, communication, quantitative, and information skills;
* Deep understanding of the disciplines that explore the natural, social, and cultural realms;
* Intercultural knowledge and collaborative problem-solving skills;
* Civic, social, and personal responsibility; and
* The ability to transfer knowledge from one setting to another.

More information on the initiative is available from the AAC&U website: http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/index.cfm