They live on campus or close by, mostly in comfortably appointed and well-run residential halls rather than in fraternity or sorority houses. They are not employed outside the college, and if they work within the college it is only for a few hours a week. The administration of an excellent liberal-arts college is dedicated to the education of students and directs its efforts to managing the college's resources so as to establish the conditions under which education can take place. It is small and has few of the trappings of a bureaucracy. It does not generate unnecessary paperwork for faculty, students, or staff.
Administrators are academics rather than management types.
The curriculum of an excellent liberal-arts college includes history, philosophy, literature, art, music, mathematics, natural science, and classical and modern languages. Courses in other subjects may also be offered, reflecting the interests of the faculty and students. An excellent liberal-arts college protects both free speech and academic freedom. Any topic, however controversial, may be discussed freely, openly, and without prejudice there. Courses at an excellent liberal-arts college are taught by faculty members, not by students, graduate or undergraduate.