HECA College Knowledge Specialty Spotlight: Colleges That Change Lives

Description

Introducing a new College Knowledge series called Specialty Spotlight! Learn about special programs/themes at colleges that support certain student populations or interests. The first Specialty Spotlight webinar will explore Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL). Gain valuable insights from Ann Marano, Director of Colleges That Change Lives, Ben Baum of St. John’s College, and April Gamble from the College of Wooster as they highlight the distinctive strengths of CTCLs and what makes their institution unique. Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your expertise to support your students' academic journeys!

CTCL: This will be a dynamic (re)introduction to the Colleges That Change Lives organization, its distinctly different member institutions, and what we mean when we say, "What happens during the stay is what matters." We'll also discuss how to support why the liberal arts matter now more than ever—especially in an AI-driven world. 

The College of Wooster: This will be an overview of Wooster's capstone research project, Independent Study, and how this year-long heavily mentored research project gives students opportunities to research disciplines and also to develop the soft skills that employers and graduate schools value, such as time management, analytic and communication skills, creativity, and multi-disciplinary perspectives.

St. John's College: St. John's College is an original member of Colleges That Change Lives, the third oldest college in America, and known for its distinctive great books curriculum where all students read over 200 of the most important books in history.

 Ann Marano
  Executive Director
  Colleges That Change Lives, LLC. 

Ann Marano serves as the Executive Director for Colleges That Change Lives Inc. Prior to representing the CTCL member institutions and championing the liberal arts and a student-centered college search and admission process through CTCL, Ann was the College Bound Advisor at the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School in Dallas for 12 years. Before moving to Texas in 2009, she worked for twenty years in college admission counseling at several secondary and post-secondary institutions in California, including Mount St. Mary’s University, Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks), California State University – East Bay, and California State Polytechnic University – Pomona.

Ann has served on counselor advisory boards for the Dallas/Fort Worth Admissions Regional Network, the Ohio State University, Ithaca College, California State University Northridge, and the University of Texas, Austin. She is a regular presenter at regional and national higher education conferences. Ann is particularly grateful to have served on the Common Application Board of Directors and the Johns Hopkins University Access Advisory Board. A proud first-generation college graduate, she believes in creating access, myth busting, and amplifying joy with and for students and families on the road to college. She earned her B.A. in Sociology & English from Mount St. Mary’s University (CA) and her M.A. in Education-Psychology from Pepperdine University.

 
 Ben Baum
  VP of Enrollment
  St. John's College

Ben Baum is Vice President of Enrollment at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Prior to St. John’s, Ben worked in admissions at Tufts University and the law firm Goodwin Procter LLP. He has a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, a master’s degree from the University of Oxford, and a law degree from the University of Michigan.

 April Gamble
  Associate Director & Coordinator of Counselor Initiatives
  The College of Wooster

April believes in the power of CTCL institutions to transform lives and make our world a better and kinder place. April is a former elementary school teacher who has taught in both private and public schools. She came to The College of Wooster as an outside reader about a decade ago and fell in love with the possibilities and opportunities at small liberal arts colleges. She works with counselors, CBOs, and IECs to share Wooster's story. She is passionate about Wooster's Independent Study (I.S., our capstone research experience) and can tell a story about I.S. and almost every major on campus.