The New American Colleges and Universities (ANAC) has launched the ANAC Student Exchange, an innovative program that will allow students to spend a semester at one of 13 colleges and universities nationwide. All participating campuses (including Elon) are ANAC members with a history of intercollegiate collaboration and a shared commitment to the integration of liberal arts, professional studies, and civic responsibility.
“Our consortium, unlike many based on geographic proximity, comprises
institutions from across the country. ANAC presidents recognize that an
institution cannot be all things to all students,” said Lynette
Robinson, ANAC’s executive director. “By creating a consortium-wide
exchange, our participating members are allowing students to expand and
enrich their programs of study without officially transferring.”
Through the Student Exchange, students are able to take courses not
currently offered on their home campuses, experience a new culture or
geographical location, or perform internships that are available in
specific locales, such as New York City and Washington, DC.
Experiencing another culture and completing an internship or service
learning project are frequently general education requirements at ANAC
institutions. Providing options for students to easily study away from
campus is one way to ensure students achieve their important
educational goals.
“The ANAC Domestic Exchange program developed out of a keen awareness
that, for many students with regional ties, there are exceptional
opportunities to experience distinctive programs at partner
institutions that are similar in size and educational philosophy.
Whether it be such possibilities as a music business program in
Nashville, service learning in the environs of North Carolina,
ecological study of the Rocky Mountains, or dynamic interdisciplinary
urban programs, among many others, these avenues for mutual enrichment
can only benefit our students and our respective campus communities,”
said Harold R. Wilde, president, North Central College.
The opportunities in the Student Exchange are extensive. While the
participating colleges and universities are typically offering a
standard curriculum, many are playing up their strengths. Schools in
urban settings are offering city-based curriculum and field study.
Others are leveraging their locations for internships or
extracurricular activities. Courses in tough-to-find majors, such as
aviation and meteorology, are now more accessible through the Student
Exchange program. And because all ANAC institutions offer graduate
programs, the Student Exchange provides an excellent introduction to
graduate opportunities students may not have considered.
The first group of exchange students is expected to enroll in spring
2009. A complete list of programs is available at www.anac.org.
About New American Colleges and Universities (ANAC)
ANAC was founded in 1995 to promote the intentional integration of the
liberal arts and sciences, professional preparation, and civic
education in undergraduate and graduate education. Often described as
“collegiate universities,” New American Colleges and Universities
combine a strong commitment to teaching in a highly personalized
liberal arts residential environment with the diverse programs and
opportunities of a large research university. New American Colleges and
Universities effectively blend classroom and community, coordinating
theoretical and experiential learning through undergraduate and
graduate research, professional practice and internships, and community
economic and social development projects. With a collective enrollment
of more than 80,000 students, ANAC’s 22 member colleges and
universities are regarded as national models of integrative
institutions. For more information, please visit www.anac.org.