Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts: Reflections on a CIC Initiative

In mid-2017, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) invited its member institutions to apply to participate in a four-day professional development event focused on institutional responses to student activism concerning racial injustice. The Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts Institute was premised on the belief that teaching and learning in the liberal arts--a signature element of the education offered by CIC institutions--is key to advancing equity, inclusion, and civil engagement in higher education communities. This report begins by describing the institutions that convened in Atlanta, Georgia. Next the report highlights some of the specific activities undertaken by the participating teams to implement the lessons of the Institute on their own campuses, as well as the success factors and stumbling blocks they encountered along the way. [The report was written with Philip M. Katz.]