Mission of ACS

In this guided tour, we describe the mission and some of the programs of the Associated Colleges of the South, with pictures of our institutions and links to more information about our programs. We hope these pages will provide a sense of our vision of the role of cooperation and collaboration in higher education, and how the consortium serves to facilitate this vision.

Courtesy of Southwestern University

Incorporated in August of 1991, the Associated Colleges of the South has a mission to make the case for liberal arts education and to strengthen academic programs of the member institutions. The consortium articulates to many publics the nature of liberal learning and the vital role it plays. The organization points to the impact made by liberal arts on individuals and on the society as a whole, with ACS colleges and universities being viewed as exemplars of the highest quality liberal arts institutions. ACS is a mechanism through which member colleges and universities can create and build programs in a way which would not be possible on an individual basis. Their ideas and resources are shared, thereby raising the efficiency of operations and the effectiveness of programs. And, the ultimate beneficiary is the student. Joint summer and academic year programs for students overseas, seminars and projects of faculty enrichment, staff development activities, an electronic virtual library, and cooperation in environmental studies all redound to the benefit of students on ACS campuses.

As the ACS creates and offers its programs, it intends to develop models of cooperative endeavors in higher education. The organization is determined to create programs of service that other consortia and institutions throughout the country will want to emulate. In this and other ways, the Association is committed to playing an important leadership role in American higher education.

Courtesy of Hendrix College

Courtesy of Rhodes College

The ACS is comprised of sixteen distinguished liberal arts colleges and universities. They are nationally recognized institutions located in the South, encompassing twelve states. They share a commitment to excellence in all their programs, offering rigorous academic programs and focusing on the growth and development of each student. They are also determined to be even better, using the ACS as a vehicle for improvement.