Alverno College

Founded in 1887 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, Alverno College is an internationally known  four-year liberal arts college dedicated to the personal and professional development of women.  In addition it is known for its innovative, abilities-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, Alverno has consulted with three US presidential administrations on higher education accountability. Moreover Alverno offers over 60 areas of study available in weekday and weekend timeframes. Men are admitted to graduate and licensure programs.

Alverno College offers Several Majors from Accounting to Theology :

·         Accounting

·         Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations

·         Art

·         Art Education

·         Art Therapy

·         Biological Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology
Biology, Biological Sciences

·         Broad Field Science

·         Business and Corporate Communications

·         Business Management and Administration

·         Chemistry

·         Computer and Information Systems, Technology and Management

·         Education

·         English, English Language and Literature

·         Environmental Science, Environmental Studies

·         History

·         International Affairs

·         International and Intercultural Studies

·         International Business and Economics

·         Mathematics

·         Media Arts, Sciences, Design and Studies

·         Music Education

·         Music Therapy

·         Nursing

·         Organizational, Administration and Leadership Studies

·         Philosophy

·         Politics, Political Science, and Political Studies

·         Pre-Dentistry

·         Pre-Law

·         Pre-Medicine

·         Pre-Pharmacy

·         Pre-Physician Assistant

·         Pre-Veterinary Medicine

·         Psychology

·         Religion, Religious Studies and Theology

·         Social Studies

·         Sociology

·         Studio Art

·         Theology, Religion and Religious Studies

At Alverno, they realize that the accepted comparison of graduates of a particular college to national averages doesn't begin to answer this question. They had to look further than the usual statistics on careers and salaries that colleges and the U.S. Department of Education regularly collect and the indices that college guides use to rank colleges.

Instead, with major involvement from their alumnae, they studied the actual performance of their graduates in diverse settings five years after graduation. They found that the majority are effective performers. Their graduates are clear thinkers and problem solvers in novel situations, articulate communicators in settings where the message is the means to achievement, initiators when the barriers seem impassable, skilled interpersonally when teamwork is demanded. Most importantly, they act with integrity even when there are strong pressures to do otherwise.

In addition they  also had to show that learning lasts, and that the teaching at Alverno is responsible for it. Alverno expect that graduates perform in part because they learn and are taught by others after college. However Alverno was able to pinpoint the enduring effects of an college education, beyond the expected growth due to maturity and opportunity.

Our understanding of what makes their alumnae successful is essential to teaching and learning at Alverno. Setting high standards creates a corresponding challenge: they must keep the teaching up to the learning needed; they must make sure all students learn. They use what they learn about alumnae growth and performance to improve student learning and to test the effectiveness our educational approach and the assumptions that undergird it.