Reports of the demise of liberal arts colleges in the US are greatly exaggerated. With apologies to Mark Twain, that's the message Tuesday to a regional meeting of the Council of Independent Colleges - members from several states will meet at Augustana College.
Council president Richard Ekman says it's one of several meetings with member colleges across the country to try to counter many myths about these colleges.
"The employment prospects of these graduates are terrific, it's an affordable form of education - it works in every way."
Georgia Nugent, a senior fellow for the council, says another myth is that private liberals arts colleges are only for "elite" students.
"The fact is that we enroll a slightly larger percentage of diversity students, first generation students, students from the lower socio-economic quartile or quintile than do the public universities."
650 small and medium size private liberal arts colleges belong to the council. And Ekman and Nugent plan to hold a dozen of these meetings across the country between now and next spring.
