Tusculum College was plagued by declining student enrollment, poor campus morale, low academic standards, and a dwindling endowment. In 1989 it’s new president united the faculty, staff, trustees, and students in a process to renew the academic and financial vitality of the college by focusing on civic engagement as the foundation of a liberal arts education.

Students fulfill the Core Commons Curriculum, which provides a foundation in the liberal arts and many opportunities for community dialogue and ways to explore the meaning of effective citizenship. The school’s calendar is set up so that students take courses in “”blocks”", where students enroll in one class which lasts three and a half weeks. Students also must complete the Compentency Evaluation Program where they are assessed for their “”Foundation”" skills (reading, writing, speaking, and critical analysis), their “”Specific Knowledge and Skills”" in areas like computer literacy, math, and religious heritage, and their “”Practice of Virtue”", which consists of the abilities of self-knowledge, civility, and ethics of social responsibility. Volunteering and service-learning are also required for graduation.

After the ten-year tenure of president Robert Knott the College had an endowment of $12 million (up from $2 million in 1991) and the residential college had more than doubled it’s 1989 population. Faculty morale has also increased because the faculty felt more connected to the College. All the academic reforms, including the elimination of tenure, had been developed by the faculty and instituted by faculty vote.

Website: www.tusculum.edu