• 14 liberal arts colleges
• Links to ACM member colleges
• Leaders in innovative education
  • International study
  • Math and science
  • Instructional technology
• ACM activities
  • Off-campus study
  • Faculty development
  • Information exchange and external relations
  • Nick Adams Short Story Contest for students
• History and organization of ACM
• Staff at the ACM office in Chicago

Off-campus study

ACM’s off-campus study programs encompass a wide array of settings and academic disciplines. Some include courses at a host university, while others emphasize experiences outside the classroom, such as internships. Several offer research opportunities rarely available to undergraduates.

The international programs provide an immersion in the culture of the host country, with language study, field trips, travel and, in most cases, home stays with families.

Students remain enrolled at their home ACM colleges. Financial aid applies to the programs, so costs are generally comparable to an equivalent period on campus. More than 500 students enroll in ACM off-campus study programs each year. Many of the program teaching positions are filled by faculty from the ACM colleges, who collaborate with professors and staff at the local site.

Go to the ACM off-campus study home page

Faculty development

ACM provides a variety of opportunities for faculty to extend their expertise and gain new perspectives.

Annual conferences sponsored by ACM bring together faculty and administrators from the 14 campuses to focus on significant issues in the liberal arts. ACM workshops cover specialized topics, such as the arts and electronic media, gender studies, mathematics curricula and pre-medical education.

The ACM Faculty and Career Enhancement (FaCE) Project focuses on the changing needs of faculty at ACM colleges during the different stages of their careers. The multi-year project is funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

ACM is part of the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) to support faculty in the use of instructional technology, both on campus and in off-campus study programs.

Multi-campus projects, such as a visit to several ACM campuses by a specialist in a particular field or by a performing arts group, are occasionally arranged, as are conferences held in connection with off-campus study programs.

Teaching appointments on ACM off-campus study programs provide revitalization for individual faculty through a change in scene and responsibilities and contact with new colleagues. Appointments often include time and resources for research.

Travel grants are available for faculty to visit ACM program sites in Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Oak Ridge and Chicago to conduct research and consider curricular changes.

A cooperative program with the University of Chicago allows faculty on sabbatical to be appointed as visiting professors at the University, where they teach and pursue research interests.

In recent years, ACM has offered a variety of grant-funded opportunities for faculty.

• Through the Global Partners Project, faculty had access to travel grants to support research in Africa, Central Europe, Russia and Turkey. The project also included conferences and workshops on the integration of off-campus study with the liberal arts curriculum, orientation and re-entry, cultural competency and field learning methods. Language teachers, especially of less commonly taught languages, explored ways to coordinate their efforts.
• A three-year series of information literacy workshops, funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, brought together faculty, librarians and instructional technology staff from the ACM colleges. Participants developed curricular models and course materials to be shared consortium-wide.
• Another grant from the Mellon Foundation supported projects to strengthen consortial collaboration. The projects included workshops and strategic planning focused on curricular development.

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Information exchange and external relations

With their many similarities, the ACM colleges serve as meaningful reference points for each other.

The presidents, academic deans, deans of students, admission directors, human resources staff and business officers of the ACM colleges meet regularly to conduct consortial business and to discuss trends in higher education and issues facing liberal arts colleges. The presidents occasionally meet as a group with members of Congress and federal administrators in Washington, D.C.

The colleges exchange a variety of institutional data, which the ACM office annually compiles and distributes to the campuses.

The Committee on the Status of Women meets twice a year, sponsors workshops and seminars, and conducts research on issues affecting women faculty, staff and students.

The Committee on Minority Concerns seeks to develop ways to enhance the recruitment, retention and experiences of minority students, faculty and staff at the colleges.

Since 1966, ACM has maintained representation in Washington, D.C. to assist the colleges in obtaining grants and to keep the colleges informed about pending federal legislation and policies affecting higher education.

Through consortial publications and admission events, the admission directors promote the value of liberal arts and sciences education to high school guidance counselors and prospective students across the country. As a service to the secondary education community, they publish the Pre-College Planner, a booklet outlining the college selection process.

ACM office staff represent the consortium in organizations such as the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC and U) and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).

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