LEAP States Initiative

Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) is a national initiative that champions the importance of a twenty-first-century liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. Through LEAP, hundreds of campuses and several state systems are making far-reaching educational changes to help all their students—whatever their chosen field of study—achieve a set of essential learning outcomes fostered through liberal education. In numerous LEAP projects and activities, AAC&U partners with campuses, state systems, and K-12 educational leaders as they make these essential learning outcomes a framework for educational excellence, assessment of learning, and new alignments between school and college. 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 institutions 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

The LEAP States Initiative brings 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 States Initiative 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, Vice President, Office of Engagement, Inclusion, and Success, albertine@aacu.org