2009 COPLAC Conference: Higher Ed Guests at KSC

Keene State hosted the 2009 Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) annual Meeting June 19–21, bringing 100 guests from 20 national institutions to campus. Two keynote speakers, Carol Geary Schneider, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and Stephen J. Reno, former chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, addressed the gathering. Concurrent sessions on the theme for the three-day program, “The Value of a Liberal Arts Education,” filled the schedule.

“The COPLAC conference showcased the many areas where Keene State College has become the aspirant institution for a number of our peers: town/gown relationships, facility planning and implementation, integrative curriculum, and the SODEXO dining staff,” said President Giles-Gee. “Many institutional leaders are coming back to visit the College and bringing their partners to learn how to improve. I am proud of the College’s achievements, and I am especially proud of the people who work to make the College perform better each year in support of our sense of community and students.”

Twenty of the 27 COPLAC member institutions were represented at the meeting, and on Friday, video conferencing connected two other COPLAC campuses to the preconference activities. KSC faculty and staff presented at the following sessions:

• “The Enduring Value of a Public Liberal Arts Education” (Nona Fienberg, Irene Herold, Gordon Leversee, Melinda Treadwell)
• “Sense of Place” (Mary Jensen, Bud Winsor, Dee Denehy, Joe Britton, Bert Poirier)
• “Differentiating COPLAC Institution Costs from Those at Other Colleges and Universities” (Jay Kahn)
• “Save the World on Your Own Time” (Nona Fienberg, Mark Long)
• “The Place of Continuing Education on a COPLAC Campus” (Bob Baker)
• “Marketing the Liberal Arts” (Peggy Richmond)
• “Making the Case for a Liberal Arts Education in a Global Economy” (Christine King, Gordon Leversee)
• “From Conversation to Commitment” (Phyllis Benay, Robert Kostick, Mark Timney, Sara Hottinger, Mark Long, Jeff Halford)

Many guests stayed in the Pondside III Residence Hall during their visit.
“Keene State College has so much to be proud of,” said Provost Mel Netzhammer. “Our guests were thrilled with the hospitality and with the program. Clearly this was a COPLAC meeting to remember.”