For more information about LEEP, please visit: http://www.clarku.edu/leep/about-leep/index.cfm

Clark: Leadership in Liberal Education and Effective Practice

“Ten years into the new millennium it is abundantly clear that the challenges and opportunities for higher education are intensifying in a world marked by continual flux, enhanced interconnectivity and the globalization of everything from economic structures to cultural mores.

As we look at the challenges of climate change, of economic dislocation, the competitive need for scientific discovery, the persistence of poverty, violence, and inequality, and the fracturing of civic institutions, we must conclude that liberal education is a most precious resource and an investment in our common future. These challenges demand the mental agility and the creative and analytical skills that are hallmarks of a traditional liberal education. Yet beyond this, students also need capacities that empower them to transform that knowledge into lives of purpose and consequence.

At Clark, we are building a new model of liberal education: Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP). This innovative model integrates the wealth of intellectual and academic resources already present at the university with the skills and capacities that are becoming increasingly essential in the 21st century. The Clark undergraduate experience in all its dimensions—from the classroom to the research laboratory, from the cocurricular experience to teams and clubs—will educate graduates known not just for academic excellence, but also for resilience, persuasion, creativity, and the ability to demonstrate character when tested.”

Source: Clark University