Acknowledgments

The members of the CAP would like to thank those who collaborated on the reports listed below, as well as the many students, alumni, and on-campus colleagues who wrote to us individually. The Executive Committee of the Alumni Council was kind enough to field questions about the mission and needs of Amherst, as were participants in: Amherst Association events and Amherst Tables in various cities, class volunteer conference calls, the on-campus Versatility in the Liberal Arts program, and the Class of 1957 Class Day in New York. During 2005 President Marx raised the issues under consideration by the CAP in open meetings for alumni and parents at Homecoming, Family Weekend, and Reunion; we want to thank the participants in those discussions for sharing their perspectives.

We would like to thank Marian Matheson, Director of Institutional Research, who gave us access to, and guidance through, internal and comparative data on a scale never before available to a college committee. Robyn Piggott, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations, was a scribe and editor of rare gifts. Special thanks are owed to Richard Todd ’62 who generously interceded as perfect reader and deft editor in the final stages of framing this report.

Various administrators were generous with their time and expert knowledge: Joe Case, Director of Financial Aid; Sherre Harrington, Librarian of the College; Allen Hart, Dean of New Students; William Hoffa, Study Abroad Advisor; Jennifer Innes, Director of the Quantitative Skills Center; Ben Lieber, Dean of Students; Tom Parker, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid; Peter Schilling, Director of Information Technology; and Susan Snively, Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Writing Center.

Finally, we can only gesture to the large debt we owe to Nancy Ratner, Assistant Dean of Admission and Researcher/Committee Coordinator in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, who kept us on track throughout as recorder, researcher, and omniscient consultant.

Abbreviations

CAP = Committee on Academic Priorities

CEP = Committee on Educational Policy

CPR = Committee on Priorities and Resources

FCAFA = Faculty Committee on Admission and Financial Aid

FTE = Full-time equivalent

FYS = First-Year Seminar

IT = Information Technology

PIF = President’s Initiative Fund (2004- )

SCAE = Special Committee on the Amherst Education (2002-2003)