Program areas at Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges
Three times a year, COPLAC hosts regional conferences highlighting undergraduate student research, scholarly, and creative work. Six member campuses sent students, faculty, and staff to the October 2023 Northeast Regional Conference. Four member campuses sent students, faculty, and staff to the November 2023 Midwest/West Regional Conference. Four member campuses sent students, faculty, and staff to the April 2024 Southeast Regional Conference.
In July 2023 and in June 2024, COPLAC hosted three events for faculty and administrators. The first offered professional development specific to leadership at a public liberal arts college for department chairs from our member institutions. The second focused on faculty in world languages studies at public liberal arts universities. The third highlighted moving from ideas about generative AI; advocacy; branding; and student recruitment into action at COPLAC campuses.
To help member institutions share resources, polices, models, protocols, messaging, ideas, and approaches to common issues, COPLAC hosted regular meetings for communities of practice. During these peer-to-peer conversations, representatives from member institutions discussed strategies for how their campuses addressed numerous higher education issues. Communities of practice that met included deans of arts and science, chief academic officers, marketing and communication offices; study abroad/away lifelong learning centers; and centers for teaching and learning.