Marlboro College www.marlboro.edu

Marlboro is a small student-centered liberal arts college with a unique academic structure that supports individualized student courses of study. Marlboro's mission is "to teach students to think clearly and to learn independently.” Although there are no course distribution requirements, s tudents are expected to develop a command of concise and correct English and to strive for academic excellence informed by intellectual and artistic creativity; and are encouraged to acquire a passion for learning, discerning judgment, and a global perspective. Students must pass a Clear Writing Requirement. After choosing from some 250 small classes in 33 areas of study in the first two years, juniors and seniors work with faculty in one-on-one tutorials, and in seminars of up to six students. Each student designs and completes a Plan of Concentration that is guided by one or more Marlboro faculty, and evaluated by those faculty and by an outside evaluator.

This rich academic experience occurs within a campus community governed by students, faculty and staff in Town Meetings. The philosophy of enlisting students to take responsibility for their education and their community is rooted in the college's beginnings, when in 1947 GIs returning from World War II insisted on playing a dynamic role in structuring their education.

For the past several years, Marlboro has participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which focuses on five areas of educational quality: academic challenge; close student-faculty interaction; enriching educational experiences such as study abroad, internships, and community service; active and collaborative learning; and a supportive campus environment. Responses to the NSSE surveys from 2003 to 2006 indicate that Marlboro College first-year students and seniors spend considerably more time on academic activities in a typical week than their peers at other institutions, and also exert a great deal more effort into improving their writing than students do elsewhere.

In 1997, Marlboro College created the Graduate Center in nearby Brattleboro. The Graduate Center offers a BS in Managing Information Systems, low-residence masters degrees in Teaching, Management, Open Source Software Development and I.T., and a newly-launched MBA in Managing for Sustainability.

CIEL Campus Coordinator:

Sirkka A. Kauffman, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs kauffmans@marlboro.edu