|
About
Albion College
An
independent, coeducational, residential college founded more than 160
years ago, Albion is committed to the liberal arts tradition.
Historically related to the United Methodist Church, the College is
dedicated to preserving the values of the past, to serving the needs of
the present and to anticipating the goals of the future.
Albion’s
People and Programs
Albion's strength is the quality of its faculty and students. The
stimulating atmosphere at Albion results in large measure from its
faculty, who are dedicated to teaching and scholarship in the liberal arts
setting. They have distinguished credentials—95 percent of the faculty
have the Ph.D. or the highest appropriate professional degree in their
field. Faculty are active in scholarly research and other professional
endeavors, and often integrate that work into their teaching. Albion’s
students are also well qualified. Over the past five years, 70 percent
have ranked in the top quarter of their high school graduating class.
Their combined SAT scores average 1100, and their ACT composite score
averages 25; both rank Albion students well above the national average.
The faculty
and administrative staff at Albion are deeply committed to the careful
education of students and to their development as lifelong learners and as
human beings. Accordingly, most classes are small (the average class size
is 19), and students have ample opportunity for individual attention.
Further, professors spend many hours outside the classroom in individual
tutorials, and in academic and career advising.
Through the
core requirement, Albion addresses the need for breadth of knowledge and
understanding of various modes of inquiry. Through more than 30
departmental, interdepartmental and individually designed majors and
minors, students also undertake intensive work in one or more fields
within the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences or fine arts.
This broad exposure to the liberal arts encourages students to think
critically and creatively, to develop their powers of written and spoken
expression, and to deepen their understanding of moral and ethical issues.
Beyond these
departmental offerings, students have the opportunity to join one of
Albion’s six Institutes to obtain real-world experience and prepare for a
career, and to participate in a variety of interdisciplinary study
programs. For further exploration and analysis of topics that interest
them, they may pursue original research, with support from the Foundation
for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity.
The core
curriculum, and the majors and minors, Institutes, the Foundation for
Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity, and the
Foundation for Interdisciplinary Study, are elements of “Liberal Arts at
Work,” Albion College’s Vision for a liberal arts education in the
twenty-first century. (Each component of “Liberal Arts at Work” is
described in further detail in the “Academic Programs” chapter of this
Academic Catalog.) Wise choices from among these educational programs
enable students to acquire the special qualifications they need for
gaining entry to graduate and professional schools and for entering
satisfying careers in many fields.
The College
also offers curricular, residential and extracurricular programs that
build a sense of community and stress opportunities for developing
citizenship. On campus, the network of student organizations encourages
the learning of group participation skills. The same organizations have
community outreach programs that give Albion students the chance to
operate as citizens of the City of Albion. Internships and off-campus
programs—many conducted cooperatively with other colleges in the Great
Lakes Colleges Association—involve students in regional, national and
world citizenship as well.
Albion’s
Setting
Albion College is located in a small community, rich in ethnic diversity,
that was founded in 1835 at the “forks” of the Kalamazoo River. Located in
the heart of the City of Albion, the College has an unusually attractive
and well-maintained campus.
Around its
central quadrangle, numerous well-equipped classroom buildings, libraries
and laboratories support learning and teaching. Just beyond, attractive
residence halls, housing cooperatives, College-owned apartments and
fraternity houses provide a variety of living arrangements for both
independent and affiliated students and for small and large groups. A
short walk leads to the largest of several well-groomed city parks, to the
College’s theatre and athletic facilities, and to our scenic 144-acre
Whitehouse Nature Center.
An Albion
education, then, is a distinctive composite of people and programs. The
members of Albion's family, extended in time over more than 160 years and
in space all around the globe—its students and alumni, its faculty and
administration, its trustees and friends—have long attested to the value
of this special blend. The achievement of Albion's program can be measured
in the success of its graduates in living richly fulfilling lives, many of
them as leaders in their fields and communities. The essence of the Albion
philosophy and of an Albion education is truly captured by the phrase,
“Liberal Arts at Work.”
|
Albion College Diversity Statement
A liberal arts education, by definition, should liberate minds. This
process is enhanced in a community that is committed to educational
equity, diversity and unrestricted inquiry. We seek therefore to
foster an environment of mutual respect, acceptance, appreciation and
caring for all members of our community. To this end, Albion College
condemns all forms of discrimination and harassment, while reaffirming
our commitment to academic free speech. We also commit ourselves to
the recruitment and retention of both women and minority faculty,
staff and students, the integration of cultural diversity in the
curriculum, and the development of a truly inclusive multicultural
campus environment.
Approved by the Albion College Faculty and the Executive Committee of
the Board of Trustees, 1991-92. |
Albion’s
Accreditation
Albion College is accredited by such nationally recognized groups as:
The North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The Higher Learning Commission
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504
Telephone: 800/621-7440
World Wide Web: www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org
American
Chemical Society
1155 16th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Telephone: 800/227-5558
World Wide Web: www.acs.org
National
Association of Schools of Music
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, Virginia 20190
Telephone: 703/437-0700
World Wide Web:
http://nasm.arts-accredit.org/
Any current
or prospective student who wishes to review the College’s accreditation
documents should contact the Office of the Vice President for Academic
Affairs.
As part of
the accreditation requirements for the North Central Association, Albion
College has established assessment procedures for all academic programs as
well as the general education requirement. The procedures are designed to
assess the academic achievement of students as a group rather than
individually. All students are required to participate in all assessment
activities that the College deems necessary.
Albion
College is also listed as a United Methodist-affiliated institution by the
University Senate of the United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee.
More information may be obtained at 615/340-7399 or on the World Wide Web:
www.gbhem.org/gbhem/colleg.html.
|
The
Purpose of the College
Albion College is committed to liberal education in the arts and
sciences. We believe such an education empowers individuals to live
lives of constructive purpose and accomplishment, enriched by the
confidence and pleasure that come from thinking logically,
imaginatively and humanely. In light of this vision we seek to create
and maintain, in a residential setting, a supportive, intellectually
stimulating community which exhibits and prizes curiosity, creativity,
dissent and diversity.
We
believe in the fundamental worth of a broad exposure to intellectual
and artistic achievement, to the best that has been thought and said
about the world and our place in it. An Albion College education
introduces students to classical modes of analysis, interpretation and
argument; to unfolding scientific inquiry into the nature of the
physical world; to the ways in which contemporary debates derive from
and extend an historical but continuing dialogue about enduring
questions.
At
Albion College we invite students to engage in ongoing conversations
centered upon their cultural heritage, yet responsive to global
concerns. We believe our students will find their own voices by paying
attention to the finest expressions of Western and other intellectual
and spiritual traditions. Far from inviting a passive acceptance of
such traditions, we encourage students to question and challenge them,
to evaluate ethically the social uses they serve and the ends they
advocate. In our view, a liberal education is an education in active
citizenship and service.
Teaching
and learning are central to our mission. This means that while the
faculty are productive in scholarly and creative endeavors, their
primary commitment is to teaching—specifically, to fostering the
intellectual engagement and growth of students. The primary
responsibility of students at Albion College is to develop mastery in
the methods by which knowledge is acquired, critically evaluated, and
appropriately applied. We believe such an emphasis prepares students
for a lifetime of learning and a multiplicity of possible careers by
developing their broad reasoning, writing and speaking abilities.
While the classroom is at the heart of our educational mission, we
believe that the entire College community should share in the learning
experiences found in our residential setting and through involvement
in out-of-classroom opportunities and experiences, including those in
the City of Albion.
In
recruiting new members to the College community, we seek men and women
of intellectual promise from various racial, class, ethnic and
geographic backgrounds, whose perspectives can contribute to a process
of mutual education within and outside the curriculum. This aim can
best be achieved in an environment where individuals value differences
and enter into constructive dialogue toward common goals. By pursuing
our educational mission, we believe all members of the Albion
community will grow in the capacity to work, live and serve
effectively with others.
Approved by the Albion College Board of Trustees, October 30, 1993. |
|
|
