LEAP Campus Action Network (CAN)

Take Action

The following are ways in which members of the LEAP Campus Action Network (CAN) can take action to strengthen undergraduate liberal education, both through AAC&U and on campus.

Get to Know your CAN Liaison

CAN institutions designate a liaison to serve as the communication link between the campus and AAC&U. CAN liaisons receive free LEAP materials and periodic communications about LEAP events and AAC&U projects. | Find your CAN Liaison

Attend a LEAP Workshop

CAN hosts free regional LEAP workshops for individuals from CAN member institutions just prior to AAC&U Network for Academic Renewal conferences.  Individuals from CAN member institutions both in the region and registered for the conference are invited.  Workshops feature promising programs from CAN institutions and are designed to enhance campus work on LEAP-related issues. | Learn about LEAP workshops

Attend a LEAP Forum

Individuals from CAN member institutions attending AAC&U’s Annual Meeting are invited to a LEAP Forum highlighting CAN member innovations. Forums provide time for participants to network with colleagues committed to liberal education and help chart future directions for CAN. | Learn about LEAP forums

Conduct a LEAP Featured Session

Part of AAC&U’s Network for Academic Renewal conferences, LEAP Featured Sessions highlight the innovative work of CAN member institutions and demonstrate how CAN members are enacting the essential learning outcomes, principles of excellence, and high-impact practices outlined in AAC&U’s LEAP initiative. CAN member institutions can apply to have sessions designated as LEAP Featured Sessions when they submit proposals to a particular conference. | Learn about LEAP Featured Sessions

Join the LEAP Presidents’ Trust

The LEAP Presidents' Trust consists of presidents from all sectors of higher education. Trust members are committed to the vision, values, and practices that connect liberal education with the needs of the twenty-first century. | Learn about the LEAP Presidents' Trust

Become an AAC&U Associate

The Associates Program offers anyone at an AAC&U member institution the same benefits enjoyed by designated representatives, including subscription to all AAC&U periodicals.  As a group, Associates help ensure that liberal education remains at the center of campus planning and programs. CAN members enjoy a 25% introductory discount on Associate Membership. | Learn about the AAC&U Associates Program

Take Action on Campus

• Conduct Focus Groups on Liberal Education. Ascertain student views on the most important outcomes of college and how well their current educational programs are helping them achieve these outcomes (see the LEAP Focus Group Discussion Guide, pdf). Invite recent graduates to talk with current and prospective students on the most important outcomes of college and preparing for the new global economy.
• Communicate the Aims and Outcomes of Liberal Education. Clearly state liberal education learning goals on course syllabi and share good examples with the campus community (see an example from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh). Communicate the importance and economic value of a liberal education in orientation programs and first-year seminars (see the AAC&U publication, Why Do I Have to Take This Course?).
• Use Assessment for Educational Improvement.  Coordinate assessment efforts to collect data on how well students are achieving key liberal education outcomes.  Share the results with faculty, student affairs professionals, students, and external stakeholders (see the AAC&U publications Liberal Education Outcomes and Our Students’ Best Work).

Share Your Successful Practices

CAN is actively seeking examples of educational practices that help students both understand the aims and outcomes of a contemporary liberal education and demonstrably achieve those aims and outcomes. We are especially interested in practices designed to help students historically underserved by higher education achieve a liberal education. Strategies for raising the visibility and public understanding of liberal education are also welcome. Contact Bethany Zecher Sutton to share your campus practice.

For additional ways to get involved with the LEAP initiative, visit the LEAP Get Involved page and the LEAP Resources section of the sidebar.

LEAP Campus Action Network Contact

• Bethany Zecher Sutton, Chief of Staff and Coordinating Director for the LEAP Initiative, sutton@aacu.org