Duane Bonifer  |  Published September 13, 2018

Mellon Foundation Grant will help Curriculum

$200,000 grant will allow Monmouth to revise and bolster its liberal arts curriculum.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Monmouth College has received a grant from one of the largest foundations in the United States to strengthen its liberal arts curriculum.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York has given the College a $200,000 grant to revise and bolster its integrated studies program.

The $200,000 grant “is an exciting moment” in the College’s history because it is one of the largest humanities grants Monmouth has received. It also follows an earlier $100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to improve the College’s first-year experience for students.

“This continued support from the Mellon Foundation allows us to build on the great accomplishments we achieved under the previous grant,” said Monmouth interim Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs Mark Willhardt. “This grant will allow us to examine the whole of our integrated studies curriculum, from what we call it to how it fits into our liberal arts ideals. This is an exciting moment and one full of great promise, as faculty from across disciplines come together to laud our strengths and imagine new possibilities.”

The Mellon Foundation’s $200,000 grant will fund several initiatives over the next three years that will benefit Monmouth’s integrated studies program, including an outside review of the curriculum, faculty-development programs and a communication plan so that prospective students and their families better understand the value of the liberal arts experience.

“This grant will allow us to examine the whole of our integrated studies curriculum, from what we call it to how it fits into our liberal arts ideals. This is an exciting moment and one full of great promise, as faculty from across disciplines come together to laud our strengths and imagine new possibilities.”
Mark Willhardt, interim dean of the faculty

“We are at a time and place where a liberal arts education is more valuable than ever because liberal arts college graduates have skills that businesses and organizations desperately need for them to remain competitive,” Willhardt said. “Businesses and organizations seek to hire college graduates who are strong critical thinkers, can understand and solve complex problems, and then communicate their work clearly and effectively. That is why Monmouth developed its integrated studies program, and this grant will ensure that our graduates continue to be prepared to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

Monmouth’s integrated studies program “provides the spine for our liberal arts education,” according to Philosophy and Religious Studies Professor Daniel Ott, the program’s director.

“The liberal arts mean preparing students for leadership, citizenship and rich personal and professional lives.”
– Dan Ott, philosophy and religious studies professor

The four-course integrated studies program that all Monmouth students take includes an “Introduction to the Liberal Arts” class during the freshman year, followed by a course on “Global Perspectives” in the sophomore year, a “Reflections” course in the junior year and a “Citizenship” course in the senior year that serves as a capstone experience.

“The strength of Monmouth’s integrated studies program is that it is the hook that we hang the rest of curriculum on,” said Ott. “It helps students make connections through the rest of their general education courses and their major, and it offers students an experience that helps them tie everything together while on the path to becoming engaged global citizens.

“Lots of schools have a good general education programs with a nice à la carte list of courses that broadly train students, but that’s not what the liberal arts are about. The liberal arts mean preparing students for leadership, citizenship and rich personal and professional lives, and Monmouth’s integrated studies program is at the core of how we do that.”

Back to News & Events

Did you know?

  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 98% of Monmouth graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/wackerle-center/career-services/" target="_blank">Career Preparation</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We offer a certified Peace Corps Preparation program that gives Peace Corps bound graduates a leg up in the application process.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/peace-corps-prep/" target="_blank">Peace Corps Prep</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College is proudly test optional. Applicants may choose whether or to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission and scholarship consideration. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/admission/apply/test-optional/" target="_blank">Test Optional</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an active Pipe & Drum Band. Each year on Scholar’s Day in April the bagpipers wake students up at 6:00 a.m. by playing in the residence halls!</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/music/pipe-band/" target="_blank">Pipe Band</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p><strong>Monmouth College is the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement. Pi Beta Phi, the first such collegiate women’s organization, was founded at Monmouth in 1867. It was followed three years later by Kappa Kappa Gamma. The two pioneering organizations today boast a total of 275 active chapters nationwide.</strong></p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/student-life/sororities-fraternities/" target="_blank">Sororities & Fraternities</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an educational garden and 6.7 acre farm. Students grow and harvest fruits and vegetables to sell at the local farmer’s market. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/academics/only-at-monmouth/educational-garden-farm/" target="_blank">Garden & Farm</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers unique academic minors in Global Public Health and Global Food Security for students who want to use their education to address global challenges. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-public-health/" target="_blank">Global Public Health</a></li><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-food-security/" target="_blank">Global Food Security</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We’re no stranger to winning. Last year the Fighting Scots won Midwest Conference championships in Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Track and Field. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthscots.com/" target="_blank">Fighting Scots</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College covers the cost for all current students to get a U.S. passport. Unlock access to over 198 different countries! We’ll even help with the paperwork :)</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/study-abroad/" target="_blank">Study Abroad</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers several international trips each year during 2-week Scots Terms in January and May. Recently students have traveled to Botswana, Greece, Scotland, Japan, and more. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/offices/global-engagement/" target="_blank">Scots Term</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 99% of Monmouth students received some type of scholarship or financial assistance.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/offices/student-financial-planning/types-of-aid/scholarships/" target="_blank">Scholarships</a></li></ul></div></aside>