Purpose of the National Liberal Arts 25 Comparison Group
In April 2004, the Board of Trustees approved a list of colleges for use as a uniform group for all data review and comparison on campus. The goal of this comparison groups is to assist Lycoming in growing stronger by measuring itself against strong schools as opposed to choosing less successful small colleges against which the College could demonstrate the significant growth it has achieved in the past decade. Given the composition of the comparison group, when examining the data, one would expect to find Lycoming in the bottom third relative to the National Liberal Arts 25 on most measures.  Importantly, the National Liberal Arts 25 Group is not a best practices group; rather, it is a way for Lycoming to gather information about how other institutions with similar missions are facing the challenges that confront all of higher education.

Selection Criteria for National Liberal Arts 25 Comparison Group
Curricular focus: A focus on undergraduate, liberal arts education - typically classified as Baccalaureate Liberal Arts by the Carnegie Foundation

Size: Total full-time undergraduate enrollment of no less than half and no more than double Lycoming's enrollment

Financial strength: Total endowment of no less than half and no more than double Lycoming's total

Range of strength: A mix of stretch institutions and peer institutions as determined by National Liberal ranking in US News (predominantly 2nd and 3rd tier institutions)

Location: The comparison group includes a mix of institutions from Pennsylvania, the Northeast and nationwide. This mix is purposeful. The list includes a number of institutions within Lycoming's primary admissions markets (13/25). The remaining institutions from across the country reflect Lycoming's status as a National Liberal Arts College.

The National Liberal Arts 25 Group