The CAP consists of 14 members, 12 of whom are faculty. The group is co-chaired by Professor of History John Servos and President Tony Marx. The student body is represented by AAS President Michael Simmons '06 and Jacob Thomas '07.
The report emphasizes the need for extensive change. While still upholding Amherst's core values, the report states that the College must be "nimble, adaptive and well-attuned to our students' evolving needs." The Committee also stresses Amherst's importance as a policy vanguard for peer institutions. "We occupy the geographical center of higher education in New England and live in proximity to the worst urban and rural poverty in Massachusetts," the report states. "Among liberal arts colleges, Amherst may be the most fortunate and the most obligated."
The report consists of five sections. The first is the composition of the student body and the necessity of diversity and need-blind admission. The CAP expressed frustration at the student body's lack of economic diversity. "The socio-economic profile of the student body remains much the same today as it was 25 years ago," says the report. The Committee states that the situation will not improve without intervention. "If current trends continue," the Committee claims, "by 2021 the comprehensive fee at schools such as Amherst will exceed the U.S. median family income, and growing numbers of the most talented students will not even consider private education as a possibility." The CAP states that fundraising efforts must be made to prevent the tuition fee from becoming prohibitive. Alleviating the burden of oppressive student loans and instituting a need-blind admissions policy for non-American applicants are also concerns.
The second section of the report entitled "Expanding Our Reach in Ideas," concerns itself with ensuring that the College "[confronts] the escalating challenge of new fields, new ways of organizing knowledge and new information technologies." For it to remain an educational pioneer requires, according to the Committee, several curricular and faculty improvements are necessary. The CAP advocates a new system of allocating faculty, whereby the Committee on Education Policy (CEP) and the existing faculty jointly decide what each department's academic priorities ought to be, and grant faculty hires based on the department's adherence to those priorities.
The CAP also seeks to encourage interdepartmental cooperation in research and teaching while establishing new interdisciplinary courses. Among the most vital of these additions to the curriculum are new global studies classes, as well as enhancing the foreign language departments and creating teaching positions and courses dedicated to "global comprehension." Fortifying existing departments, hiring minority faculty, stimulating research opportunities for professors and staying up-to-date on information technology are also enumerated as directives.
The report's third section, entitled "Learning Beyond the Amherst Classroom," outlines three methods of unconventional instruction which, according to the CAP, are critical for a well-rounded education. The report firstly stresses enhancing Amherst's internship programs, in which "Amherst lags behind peer institutions in the quantity, though not the quality, of the opportunities that we provide," the report states.
Community service is a second avenue for furthering education. Although the CAP is pleased with the level of student activism, it remains concerned that community service has not become an integral part of programs of study, and consequently much of its potential as a teaching tool is untapped. The report recommends appointing a faculty member to "serve half-time as coordinator of community-based learning."
The final portion of "Learning Beyond the Amherst Classroom" touts study abroad programs and foreign language courses in keeping with the CAP's commitment to global study. "We urge that the College re-emphasize foreign language study as a consideration for admission to the College," states the report, "and enhance the role of the Study Abroad Office in encouraging and coordinating foreign study, especially in languages other than English."
The fourth reform proposed by the CAP deals with reinforcing the open curriculum. This section emphasizes education as a mutual endeavor shared by faculty and students. To this end, the Committee advocates a more effective advising system for underclassmen. The report also suggests intensive programs to develop writing and quantitative skills. "We recommend that all students be required to take at least one course designated as writing attentive," the report said. Marx insisted that this requirement was not in conflict with Amherst's open curriculum. "There's no discipline or subject area specificity to it, it's intended to be a writing intensive course in whatever area of the curriculum the student is interested in," he said. Finally, the report recommends further evaluation of professors by their pupils, and the development of pedagogy programs for the College's instructors.
To accommodate such sweeping reforms, the Committee realizes that improved facilities will be necessary. The fifth and final section of the report proposes a number of physical changes to the campus. Renovation of the Merrill Science Center, Converse Hall and Chapin Hall headline the list of necessary construction, as well as expanding Frost Library to make possible increased information technology.
Marx explained that the College will make decisions in the months ahead about everything from how to spend financial aid dollars, curricular issues, how to appoint faculty for the next generation, whether to have a writing requirement, how to ensure that there are enough courses in the arts or sciences and how to ensure that there are courses available for non-scientists. "The CAP report is the focal point of an ongoing discussion about what we should do," said Marx. "There will be a set of informal faculty meetings leading to a set of formal faculty meetings, as well as I imagine there may be meetings with departments along the way."
Alumni are also part of the conversation through on off-campus blog while the student government is organizing a public forum on the report, scheduled for Feb. 27.