The Center of Inquiry strives to provide helpful information about choosing a college. In order to better understand what students and parents are thinking about this big decision and about liberal arts education in general, we have invited high school counselors from across the country to join us in a dialogue. We will discuss issues such as supportive learning environments, college rankings, living on campus, questions students should ask, and what they do ask. We hope to establish and maintain helpful contacts which will be mutually beneficial to high school counselors and the Center of Inquiry.
| Participants | Institution |
| Terri Coddington | Johnny Economedes High School |
| Barbara Gonzales | Johnny Economedes High School |
| Rebecca Sprinkle | Bedford North Lawrence High School |
| Martin Kirkwood | Blessed Theodore Guerin High School |
| Debbie Petro | Westlake High School |
| Glenn Miller | Grayslake Community High School |
| Amy Sosnowski | Independent Counselor |
| Ayanna Garrett | Indiana Academy |
| Julie Maugherman | Burris Laboratory School |
| Drew Furuness | Merrillville High School |
| Dan Cormier | Los Angeles Public Library |
| William Durham, Jr. | Center for Leadership Development |
| Carroll Davis | North Central High School |
| Debra Page | Morresville High School |
| Tonya Balch | Fountain Central High School |
| Pam Price | Center Grove High School |
| Amy Thompson | York Community High School |
| Pat Hopper | Franklin High School |
| Robert Thurston | North Chicago Community High School |
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Thursday, October 7th | |
| 6.00 - 6.30 | Welcome and Introductions, Trippet 325 |
| 6.30 - 7.00 | Reception, Trippet 3rd floor rotunda |
| 7.00 - 8.30 | Dinner, Trippet Dining Room |
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| 7.30 - 8.30 | Breakfast, Trippet Hall Dining Room |
| 8.30 - 9.30 | Campus Tour, Main Lobby 2nd floor rotunda |
| 9.30 - 10.45 | What we would like to achieve, Trippet 325 |
| 10.45 - 11.15 | Coffee Break, 3rd floor rotunda |
| 11.20 - 12.00 | Visit a class |
| 12.15 - 1.15 | Lunch, Trippet Hall Dining Room |
| 1.30 - 2.30 | Student Panel, Trippet 123 |
| 2.30 - 3.15 | Dialogue with Admissions staff, Trippet 123 |
| 3.15 - 3.30 | Break |
| 3.30 - 5.00 | Dialogue with Center staff, Trippet 325 |
| 5:00 | Closing and Departures |
Summary:
We met with 17 high school guidance counselors on October 7-8, to better understand what high school students, parents, and guidance counselors think about the college choice process and to introduce symposium attendees to the Center of Inquiry’s research.
These guidance counselors said they believe strongly in liberal arts education, but that parents’ top concerns are cost and post-graduation opportunity. They reported students’ primary college-selection considerations as cost, location, familiarity/comfort, activities/social life, prestige, and majors/interests. Our participants also said high school seniors are generally not developmentally ready to ask higher-order questions regarding learning and intellectual growth in college unless they had liberal arts primary or secondary education.
The counselors said they would like direct evidence suggesting a liberal arts education is worth the cost, specifically regarding professional opportunities and post-graduation success. Our National Study of Liberal Arts Education, now in its first phase, will address this issue. They also said a concise definition of "liberal arts education," with impact for high school students and their parents, would be useful. We are engaged in ongoing work to make our definition accessible and meaningful for various audiences.
This symposium reaffirmed that we should continue to hold events with representatives from businesses, high schools, and the general public. Their input helps focus our attention on the most pressing needs and issues surrounding liberal arts education, and informs and directs our research.