Located in virtually every region of America, they include students representing all points of our nation s cultural mosaic. Focused on the educational and cultural needs of the student, they offer an immediacy and an intensity of learning which is not likely found in larger, tax-supported institutions. Good citizenship Independent colleges and universities have unique relationships with the communities in which they are sited. They are significant economic engines within local economies, both as employer and consumer. It is, though, the human values taught and practiced at independent colleges which most deeply and positively impact a community s life.
Colleges are centers of cultural resource and enrichment.
The presence of libraries, of music, art, and drama, and of faculty expertise, raises the quality of life for all. Increasingly, citizens of a campus are understanding themselves as citizens of a larger community. Faculty members and students are devoting volunteer time and energy to local causes in increasing numbers. Concern for others is one of the traditional values that is taught at independent colleges. This principle also has a practical side, as some of the best learning occurs when classroom instruction is integrated with real life experience.