The Quakers Consortium
Quick facts:
Based in the Philadelphia region.
Members include: University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Swarthmore College
Fun Facts:
The name is influenced by the quakers in the Philly area.
Two of the colleges in this consortium that have very strong academic relationships form what is called a Bi-Co (Haverford and Bryn Mawr College). Meanwhile, three of the colleges that have strong collaborations form Tri-Co or a Tri College Consortium. The colleges in this consortium include Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore. Together with UPenn, they all form what is known as the Quakers Consortium.
Benefits
Increased educational opportunities for students in the consortium. “One of the best reasons for attending a Tri-College or Quaker school is that you’ll have access to courses not offered at your home institution” (Maguire, 2019). This thence encourages student mobility within the Philly region. It can also attract a greater number of international or out of state students. According to Olcott (2009) “student mobility is not a new phenomenon” and “for many decades this was the only mode of pursuing higher education” (p.15). Undoubtedly, this phenomenon leads to other ripple effects like a boost in enrollment rates.
Personalized learning experiences: “Bryn Mawr’s Associate Director of Communications Matthew Gray said, “In surveys, we see that the consortium is a definite draw. It allows our students to have the personalized attention of a smaller school without having to compromise in terms of the breadth of courses they have available” (Berler, 2017).
The provision and free access to transportation like shuttle buses. “For students’ convenience, shuttle buses provide transportation to the various Tri-Co campuses, as well as shops, cafes, and community service sites” (Maguire, 2019).
Increased access to a wider range of extra circular activities. “For example, Swarthmore students can take part in Haverford’s Women in Stem organization, while Bryn Mawr students enjoy access to Swarthmore’s Animal Allies club” (Maguire, 2019).
Drawbacks
A major drawback of the consortium is that there may be too many leaders or bosses. Ed Krause, global manager of external alliances for Ford Motor Co. Research and Advanced Engineering shed light on this disadvantage specifically stating that “you often have too many “cooks” in the “kitchen.” “What aerospace and pharma companies want from a university can be very different, and if you have more than one boss you really don’t have a boss” (as cited in Schwartz, 2018).
As always, I look forward to viewing your contributions to this week's thread.
Krista
MDE student
University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC
References
Berler, N. (2017). College consortia: A cooperative model that offers students greater value. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/noodleeducation/2017/02/01/college-consortia-a-cooperative-model-that-offers-students-greater-value/?sh=1b67a611baee
Maguire, A. (2019). What are the tri-college and Quaker consortiums? CollegeVine Blog. https://blog.collegevine.com/what-are-the-tri-college-and-quaker-consortiums/
Olcott, D. (2009). Global connections to global partnerships: Navigating the changing landscape of internationalism and crossborder higher education. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 57, 1-9. https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/eds/viewarticle/render?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bJKtKq3Srak63nn5Kx94um%2bTq2ot0ewprBLnqeuUrGmuEy3ls5lpOrweezp33vy3%2b2G59q7Rbeqs06yprBKspzxgeK
Schwartz, D. (2018). The good, bad, and the ugly of research consortia. Tech Transfer Central. https://techtransfercentral.com/2018/10/25/the-good-bad-and-the-ugly-of-research-consortia-2/