As of July 1, Luther College is officially a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), bringing the consortium’s membership to 14 academically excellent, independent liberal arts colleges.
“We welcome Luther College to the ACM,” said ACM President Christopher Welna, “and working with our colleagues at Luther to achieve a rapid and full integration into consortial activities is a top priority. The ACM community, especially its faculty and campus leadership, already has strong ties with Luther, and we look forward to deepening those connections in the years ahead.”
Luther College, located in Decorah, Iowa, offers its 2,500 undergraduates a rigorous curriculum leading to the bachelor of arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs, with the greatest number of graduates majoring in biology, education, and music. Luther’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and its academic honor societies in 14 disciplines attest the academic excellence of the college. Luther was founded in 1861 and is affiliated with the Lutheran church (ELCA).
“Luther will benefit from the shared wisdom, expertise and resources of the colleges of the ACM, and Luther has much to offer the association,” said Luther President Richard Torgerson. “We are pleased to be part of this working group of many of the nation’s best liberal arts institutions.”
The ACM has been a leader since the early 1960s in providing off-campus study programs around the world. Today, ACM administers programs during the academic year in Botswana, Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Italy, Tanzania, the U.K., and the U.S., and is establishing summer programs in Mexico and India.
The consortium also has a long tradition of collaboration among its member institutions in areas such as faculty development, information sharing, and innovation in teaching and learning. ACM facilitates a variety of forums and other opportunities for peers from across the campuses to discuss the common challenges and emerging opportunities they face.
The ACM was founded in 1958 by ten colleges: Beloit and Ripon Colleges and Lawrence University in Wisconsin; Coe, Cornell, and Grinnell Colleges in Iowa; Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges in Minnesota; and Knox and Monmouth Colleges in Illinois. Macalester and Colorado Colleges joined in 1967, followed by Lake Forest College in 1974 and Luther College in 2009. The College of the University of Chicago was a member of the ACM from 1988 through 2008.
Read more about ACM’s off-campus study programs around the world, collaborative activities in faculty development and other areas, and history.
