(from left) Peter Brown and Peggy DuBose, Mercer University, deliberate about ANAC Academy with Charles Taylor, Drury University.

Andrea Leskes keynotes the Summer Institute.

Bill Newell delivering Institute plenary remarks on integrative learning.

Fran Frazier explains Study Circles, while Nancy Thomas watches.

Peter Bardaglio and Tanya Saunders explain the diversity education program at Ithaca College.

• ANAC Academy Established; Traverso Named Founding Director
  
• ANAC Summer Institute 2003 Largest in Institute History
  
• Round-up on ANAC Member Commencements
  
• ANAC Completes Headquarters Move to Valparaiso University

Susan Traverso (at left), ANAC Academy founding director, enjoys
Spirit of Norfolk cruise with North Central College colleagues.

ANAC Academy Established;
Traverso Named Founding Director

With the formal establishment of ANAC Academy in June 17-18 meetings at Hampton University, a long gestation period has come to fruition. The Academy was originally conceived at a retreat of ANAC institutional representatives in spring 2001. It was endorsed as the highest ANAC program development priority in June 2002 at the ANAC Senior Leadership Conference. A planning group of faculty and academic and student affairs administrators then spent the 2002-03 academic year developing a model for the Academy that could both be launched this summer with member financial support and be the object of ambitious fundraising efforts to support its development.

Five features distinguish ANAC Academy in defining its niche on the wider landscape of national higher education organizations:

• The Academy will both develop programs that are complementary with ANAC member faculty and staff professional development programs and avoid duplication with programs that other higher education associations offer. Indeed, the Academy will collaborate with other associations whenever appropriate.
  
• The Academy's primary goal is to support the learning mission of ANAC members. Thus, the Academy very deliberately is a faculty and staff professional development organization in order to address integratively the full learning potential of student experiences.
  
• The Academy is founded on the twin assumptions that private comprehensive institutions have distinctive characteristics that faculty/staff development should reflect and that strengthening faculty/staff collaboration with their institutions is an important goal.
  
• The Academy will foster an ongoing study group conversation about issues in higher education, especially those most germane to ANAC-type comprehensive institutions.
  
• Academy programming will occur in a variety of formats: generated at individual member institutions, collaboratively with other organizations, and by the Academy directly and through face-to-face, print, and electronic venues.

Susan Traverso, the founding director of ANAC academy, began her ANAC association in 1998 during the first phase of the Faculty Work Project. Over the next three years, she continued with the project as North Central's faculty participant, seeing the project to its conclusion with the publication of A New Academic Compact edited by Linda McMillin and Jerry Berberet. In June 2001, she was invited to join the strategic planning group charged with mapping ANAC's second decade, and the following summer she helped host the ANAC Senior Leadership Conference at North Central College. Then, during 2002-03, she served as a member of the planning group for ANAC Academy.

Hampton and Butler University participants enjoy Spirit of Norfolk cruise.

ANAC Summer Institute 2003 Largest in Institute History

ANAC Summer Institute 2003 at Hampton University, June 18-21, expanded on topics introduced last November in the ANAC-AACU collaborative conference at Butler University linking faculty development and recent research on student learning. The Institute theme, "Designing Integrative Learning for Integrative Institutions," explored ways that integrative institutional characteristics might become intentional strategies to enhance student learning. Thus, a variety of institutional "intersections" were examined for their potential to foster integrative learning, e.g., connections between academic and student affairs, classroom and community, liberal and professional studies, general education and specialized discipline learning, campus and study abroad experiences, college-school partnerships, and K-16 educational connections. Andrea Leskes, Vice President for Quality Initiatives at AACU, and William H. Newell, executive director of the Association for Integrative Studies, delivered plenary remarks on the theory and practice of integrative learning.

Diversity education and deliberative dialogue were explored and practiced as methods to develop inter-group understanding and communication using the arts of democracy. The goal was to develop pedagogies based on deliberative dialogue that would both advance student civic education and leadership capabilities and strengthen institutional life by expanding faculty, staff, and administrator abilities to use dialogue for purposes of problem/issue analysis and decision-making. Nancy L. Thomas, director of the Democracy Project of the Society for Values in Higher Education; Ratnesh Nagda, director of the Intergroup Dialogue, Education, and Action Program at the University of Washington; and Frances Curtis Frazier, senior facilitator at the Study Circles Resource Center, facilitated workshops and Institute deliberative sessions that enabled the Institute to practice the arts of democracy. Dialogue features of the Institute program also added tools to the work of the fifteen institutional teams and their efforts to implement changes back on their home campuses.

Hampton University provided warm hospitality, wonderful staff support, good food, excellent facilities, and Hampton's delightful campus location, "Our Home By the Sea." President William R. Harvey both welcomed participants and with his spouse, Dr. Norma Harvey, hosted a welcoming reception. ANAC in turn was able to help President Harvey to celebrate his 25th year as Hampton president, a time during which the University has more than doubled its enrollment, erected seventeen new buildings, and increased its endowment to more than $175,000,000. Another highlight was a dinner cruise through Hampton Roads on the Spirit of Norfolk. In addition to ANAC member participants, institutional teams from Widener University and Westminster College were Institute guest participants.

Susquehanna University and University of Dayton participants enjoy the Spirit of Norfolk evening with Ratnesh Nagda (center) and Nancy Thomas.

Round-up on ANAC Member Commencements

The commencement season at ANAC member institutions extended from May 3 to June 14 this year. Former US Senator George Mitchell was probably the best known ANAC member graduation speaker, urging Susquehanna graduates to "stand up and speak out against all forms of discrimination and injustice. Never forget that in the presence of evil, silence makes you an accomplice." Other commencement speakers ranged from Don Hewitt, CBS executive producer of 60 Minutes who spoke May 17 at Quinnipiac University ceremonies to Marv Levy, legendary former NFL football coach and ardent fan of education who spoke at North Central College. Even ANAC executive director Jerry Berberet got into the act, delivering the commencement address and receiving an honorary degree from The Sage Colleges.

Quinnipiac awarded degrees to 1,099 undergraduate students, including 337 from the School of Business and 281 from the College of Liberal Arts. North Central awarded 663 degrees—520 at the bachelor's level and 143 master's degrees.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour (2nd from r), recipient of Fred Friendly First Amendment Award at Quinnipiac University pictured with Lou Adler (l), director of QU's Ed McMahon Mass Communications Center, Ruth Friendly, and President John Lahey.

Former US Ambassador to Finland and East Germany, Rozanne Ridgway, was commencement speaker on May 24 at Hamline University which awarded 950 degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctorate level. University of Redlands awarded degrees to 1700 graduates, including 1200 who received teacher's, business, and graduate degrees. Valparaiso University held commencement exercises on May 18, awarding degrees to a total of 730 graduates, including 110 from the School of Law. Elon University had 910 degree recipients and University of Evansville conferred degrees on 500 students.

University of Evansville participants at ANAC Summer Institute (from l) Jean Beckman, Margaret McMullen, Wes Milner, and John Parr.

ANAC Completes Move to Valparaiso University

On July 1, it was official! That's right. ANAC has moved it's official headquarters to Valparaiso University. A new logo and stationary will follow in the coming months. Special thanks are due to "Valpo" President Alan Harre, CFO Charley Gillispie, and Controller Dianne Woods who have generously facilitated a warm welcome and a smooth transition to ANAC's new home.

The move would not be complete without expressing deep appreciation to The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation which provided a good home since ANAC's founding in 1995, especially to Judith Pinch who served very ably as the Woodrow Wilson liaison to ANAC over the years; to Woodrow Wilson President Bob Weisbuch who participated actively with the ANAC Presidents Council; and to Don Nolan, Bina Sahijwani, and Laura Roberts, who managed ANAC business affairs with warmth and efficiency. You are all good friends!

Randa Duvick describes an interdisciplinary international studies major at Valparaiso University during the Summer Institute.