Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences

CCAS Logo.

The Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) is an American association of college and university deans promoting the arts and sciences as a leading influence in higher education. CCAS was founded in 1965 after the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (now the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities^[1]) voted to include engineering and agricultural deans, but not arts and sciences deans, in their legislative advocacy programs. Arts and sciences deans withdrew and formed a new organization with the mission of providing networking and training opportunities, political advocacy, and a forum for discussion of contemporary challenges in higher education.

In 1968, eligibility was extended to all public baccalaureate degree-granting colleges of arts and sciences, and in 1988 to private institutions. By 2010 there were 450 member institutions, with 1,600 deans and associate/assistant deans, representing a diverse range of American four-year colleges and universities, as well as institutions in Canada and Kuwait. The member institutions educate approximately four million college and university students in the U.S. CCAS is governed by an elected board of twelve directors representing member institutions, led by a president, past-president, president-elect, and treasurer.

The slogan of CCAS -- "Networking Arts and Sciences Deans" -- shapes such activities as an annual meeting^[2], workshops for new deans, active listservs, and seminars held around the country on topics including department chair training, fiscal management, conflict resolution, and the law in higher education. The organization is funded by membership dues and meeting fees. CCAS champions the importance of liberal education and in 2008 initiated an Arts and Sciences Advocacy Award; the first recipient was Phi Beta Kappa.^[3] In 2009 CCAS received a collaborative National Science Foundation grant to address the status of women in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics^[4].

CCAS is headquartered at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia where its activities are directed by a full-time executive director.

References

1. ^ https://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=183
2. ^ http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/13/ccas
3. ^ https://www.pbk.org/userfiles/file/Key%20Reporter/TKR%20Spring%202009.pdf
4. ^ http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5383

External links

• Official website