ACTA Designates Purdue University’s Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts Program as a Hidden Gem for its Robust Liberal Arts Curriculum
Washington, DC—The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is proud to designate the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program at Purdue University as a Hidden Gem. ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative shines a light on honors programs, major degree programs, minor degree programs, and certificate programs that guide students through a high-quality and coherent interdisciplinary education across the liberal arts. Philosophy, literature, politics, history, and the Great Books of Western Civilization are topics that are often focal points. Developed, implemented, and delivered by the College of Liberal Arts, the Cornerstone program is a 15-credit certificate program that invites students from majors across the university to engage with transformative texts, “the greatest that has been thought, said, and written across human history.” The program serves as a “core within a core,” helping new students to navigate the University’s larger requirements, satisfying them with courses that span disciplines such as history, literature, philosophy, and more. Cornerstone faculty seek to meet their students with openness, guidance, and imagination, and hope to nurture these same qualities in their students as well.
“Purdue University’s Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program, launched in 2017, is the largest great books program in the US with over 8,000 students per year studying the greatest that has been written or spoken in human history,” says Melinda Zook, director of the Cornerstone program. The program “provides students from all academic majors the opportunity to broaden their understanding of the world and themselves while strengthening their ability to read closely, write with clarity, and speak with confidence. Cornerstone’s gateway sequence, Transformative Texts develops the communication and critical thinking skills of first-year students by enriching their lives through the transformative power of great texts, along with art, film, and theatre. Cornerstone’s five-course certificate program offers students a coherent approach to their general education requirements with themes related to their degree program. Cornerstone is a national model for liberal education that is being replicated at 70 universities and colleges thanks to investment from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Teagle Foundation.”
Gabriella Hsu, ACTA’s Senior Program Manager for Curricular Improvement says, “ACTA’s Hidden Gems program highlights major, minor, and certificate programs that offer students an unparalleled education in the liberal arts. Hidden Gems programs are so named for the high caliber of their faculty, thoughtfully structured curricula, and commitment both to the challenges and rewards of liberal education. Students enrolled in Hidden Gems programs are drawn into community and discussion rooted in the rich interdisciplinary study of the liberal arts and sciences. In its mission to support academic excellence, ACTA believes that the Hidden Gems program is an invaluable resource for students seeking a robust, collegial, and enriching education.”
ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative serves as a complement to our What Will They Learn?® (WWTL) project. WWTL rates the core curriculum requirements at over 1,100 schools to determine which institutions provide a rigorous, liberal arts-oriented general education. Programs designated as Hidden Gems offer a robust liberal arts education regardless of their home institution’s core curriculum. WWTL and Hidden Gems help prospective students locate universities and programs that will prepare them for successful careers, informed citizenship, and human flourishing.
See a comprehensive list of all Hidden Gems here.
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ACTA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. We receive no government funding and are supported through the generosity of individuals and foundations.