At the heart of a Marlboro education is the Oxford-style tutorial system for upperclass students. Tutorials make it virtually impossible for any Marlboro student to fade into the background. The result is a community in which ideas are exchanged both in and out of the classroom. While it seems unlikely that most schools will use outside examiners, the push for accountability is sure to continue. As it does, it may be helpful to remember that faculty members of at least one tiny college still have the courage to put their teaching results on the line.
Students serve equally on committees for admission, curriculum, operations and faculty hiring.
Students take their responsibilities to heart. Its original emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, which still infuses the Marlboro curriculum, has since become a staple at other non-traditional schools. Sixty percent of graduates go on to graduate or professional schools. That is rare in academia, but an almost daily occurrence at Marlboro. Today, I still marvel at the idea of the Plan of Concentration, the validation of an Outside Examiner, and the sense of accomplishment Marlboro graduates take with them into graduate school and into life, where they become the academic coaches of the next generation.