LEAP In the States

Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) champions the value of a liberal education—for individual students and for the economic well-being and democratic vitality of the nation. LEAP brings attention to a set of essential learning outcomes for all students, whatever their chosen field of study. AAC&U understands from colleagues across the country that these shared learning goals enjoy widespread support--a gathering consensus of the aims and outcomes of undergraduate education. The LEAP initiative works through advocacy, through campus action, and through research to support and inform change. Individual campuses can get involved through a national campus action network.  LEAP is also now working intensively within states and state systems.

LEAP states include, to date,

• Wisconsin: the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU)
• Oregon: the Oregon University System
• Virginia: private institutions; public insitutions affiliated with SCHEV, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
• California: the California State University System
• Utah: the Utah System of Higher Education, public and private universities and colleges

LEAP state initiatives bring AAC&U staff and member campuses into intentional work together--toward systemic change. Systems may be defined formally as state-level institutions or informally as collaboratives. Systems, in this sense, may include both private and public colleges (2 year and 4 year) and universities, or state systems as formal entities. Through local campus and public policy leadership, LEAP in the states supports public advocacy for liberal education. The initiative builds platforms for campus action and frameworks to advance essential learning outcomes for all students. LEAP in the states fosters cross-campus collaborations to raise levels of students’ achievement—from preschool through college.

The LEAP States Initiative provides

• A framework state higher-education systems (whether formal entities or collaboratives) can use to align their programs—system wide and campus wide
• A national voice for systems within the LEAP campaign
• Practical advice on large-scale adoption and application of LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes, Principles of Excellence, and assessment practices (as in the VALUE Project)
• A national leadership network for transformational change and inclusive excellence within and across systems; and for policy development

For more information, please call on Susan Albertine, Senior Director, LEAP States Initiative. Albertine@aacu.org