Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges

Three times a year, COPLAC hosts regional conferences highlighting undergraduate student research, scholarly, and creative work. Six member campuses sent students, faculty, and staff to the November 2022 Northeast Regional Conference. Four member campuses sent students, faculty, and staff to the November 2022 Midwest/West Regional Conference. Four member campuses sent students, faculty, and staff to the April 2023 Southeast Regional Conference.

In July 2022 and in June 2023, COPLAC hosted three events for faculty and administrators. The first offered professional development specific to leadership at a public liberal arts college for 33 department chairs from 19 of our member institutions. The second focused on faculty in political studies at public liberal arts universities. The third highlighted moving from ideas into action at COPLAC campuses.

To help member institutions share resources, polices, models, protocols, messaging, ideas, and approaches to common issues, COPLAC hosted approximately thirty regular meetings for communities of practice. During these peer-to-peer conversations, representatives from member institutions discussed strategies for how their campuses addressed numerous higher education issues. Communities of practice that met included marketing and communication offices; enrollment and admissions offices; TRIO programs; study abroad/away offices; chief diversity offices; lifelong learning centers; centers for teaching and learning; and chief academic officers.