BLUEFIELD, Va. — Bluefield College has achieved something only one other college in Virginia has done: garnered an “A” rating from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni for an outstanding general education program, a prestigious recognition reserved for only 21 colleges and universities in the nation in 2012.
ACTA is a non-profit organization committed to academic freedom, excellence and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. Launched in 1995, the ACTA works with alumni, donors, trustees and education leaders across the country to support liberal arts education and to uphold high academic standards.
Bluefield College President David Olive (left) and Beazley Foundation President Richard Bray (right) listen as Dr. Michael Poliakoff, vice president of policy for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), shares the good news of BC's 'A' rating by the ACTA for the excellence of its general education program. Only 22 colleges in America received the prestigious 'A' honor from the ACTA.
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The ACTA’s “A” rating is associated with its “What Will They Learn?” project, designed to encourage colleges and universities to strengthen core curricular requirements in order to provide students with a strong foundation of skills and knowledge.
“Bluefield’s A-rated core curriculum will give its college graduates a competitive edge,” said Anne Neal, president of ACTA. “Students in other states and in other schools can graduate with a patchwork of narrow and often trendy courses outside of their majors. Bluefield’s graduates will have the advantage of a coherent and cohesive general education requirement — precisely the broad exposure needed for productive workers, informed citizens and lifelong learners.”
As part of its “What Will They Learn?” initiative, the ACTA surveyed nearly 1,100 public four-year liberal arts institutions, along with private faith-based and non-faith-based colleges to evaluate whether they require seven key subjects in their general education curriculum: English composition, literature, intermediate-level foreign language, United States government or history, economics, mathematics and science.
Only two percent of the 1,070 institutions reviewed — among them Baylor University, the United States Air Force Academy, Pepperdine University, the University of Dallas and the United States Coast Guard Academy — earned the “A” rating.
Chris Shoemaker (cshoemaker@bluefield.edu) is director of marketing and public relations at Bluefield College.