Glossary of Carleton Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Terms – Incoming Faculty

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

AALAC– Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges. The AALAC strives to advance liberal arts education through collective efforts to support faculty research and teaching so as to enhance the overall experience of students and to develop faculty leadership. Membership includes 25 liberal arts colleges across the country.

ACCCR – Advisory Council on Campus and Community Relations. The purpose of Carleton’s Advisory Council on College and Community Relations is to provide the campus and the community with important and timely information about shared interests, and to discuss concerns and ideas with Carleton’s neighbors.

ACE – Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) at Carleton College is an approach to education focusing on community-based learning, community-based research, and service learning.

ACM – Associated Colleges of the Midwest. A consortium of 14 independent liberal arts colleges located in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado. Member colleges are: Beloit, Carleton, Coe, Colorado, Cornell, Grinnell, Knox, Lake Forest, Lawrence University, Luther, Macalester, Monmouth, Ripon, and St. Olaf.

AGH – Guest rooms in the Alumni Guest House (AGH) are available for the use of guests of the College, including Alumni, parents, friends, guest speakers, job candidates, and more.

A&I – The “Argument and Inquiry” first-year seminar requirement. These seminars are intended to provide students with an understanding of the meaning and value of a liberal arts education during their first months at Carleton. A&I courses explicitly introduce the ways that scholars ask questions, and find, use, and evaluate information effectively and ethically in constructing arguments. They give students opportunities for critical reading, thinking, discussion and college-level writing on a variety of topics and are designed to enhance students’ abilities to collaborate effectively with their peers and professors.

ASC – Academic Standing Committee. Committee of faculty, students, and staff that adjudicates college regulations and makes decisions about students’ academic standing.

ASC – The Academic Support Center (ASC) provides students with individual and group opportunities to develop as active learners.

CAASHA – Campus Advocates Against Sexual Harassment and Assault. Group of students dedicated to supporting and empowering Carleton students affected by — or with questions about — sexual harassment or assault.

CATALYST – The online library catalog shared by Carleton and St. Olaf.

CCCE – (Pronounced “trip-C-E.”) Center for Community and Civic Engagement. Aims to promote and integrate civic and community engagement in its co-curricular volunteer, curricular (ACE) and faculty (Public Scholarship) respects.

CEDI – Community, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. A group of students, faculty, and staff who help coordinate and connect the many efforts supporting diversity and inclusion on campus.

CELT – Committee for Effective Learning with Technology. CELT is charged with ensuring that Carleton remains smart and nimble in responding to changes in technology and technology-enhanced learning by monitoring, facilitating experimentation with, and evaluating the effectiveness of emerging technology-enhanced pedagogies in our residential liberal arts environment.

CFD – Consortium for Faculty Diversity. The goal of this program is to assist minority scholars in the early stages of their career and to produce a pool of minority scholars who will have firsthand experience teaching at liberal arts colleges. Our goal is to hire one of these applicants as a CFD Fellow each academic year.

CF&PC – Capital Funding and Priorities Committee. Committee that manages and prioritizes funding and projects for capital renewal and investment.

CGRS – The Central for Global and Regional Studies promotes the study of the world’s peoples, arts, environments, literatures, sciences, and institutions.

CIG – Curricular Innovation Grants. Grants are awarded each winter by the Faculty Grants Committee to support curricular innovation. Very small CIG grants may be awarded any time by the Provost.

CLAE – Carleton Liberal Arts Experience. A summer program founded by a Carleton trustee, which brings talented high school juniors of African American descent, or students who have an interest in African American culture, to campus for a week-long academic college-prep program.

CMC – Center for Mathematics and Computing.

COFHE – Consortium on Financing Higher Education. An institutionally supported organization of 35 private colleges and universities: Amherst, Barnard, Bowdoin, Brown, Bryn Mawr, CalTech, Carleton, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Northwestern, Oberlin, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Smith, Stanford, Swarthmore, Trinity (CT), University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt, Washington (MO), Wellesley, Wesleyan (University), Williams, and Yale.

COMPS – Comprehensive exercise for seniors, also known as the “Integrative Exercise.”

CSA – Carleton Student Association, Carleton’s cooperative student government of, by, and for the students.

CSL – Committee on Student Life. Committee of students that advises the Dean of Students; can recommend social policy issues to the College Council. Chaired by the Dean of Students with a student co-chair.

CUBE – Carleton Undergraduate Bridge Experience. CUBE participants work directly with a Carleton faculty member and Carleton student coaches before arriving on campus to review quantitative skills in order to be ready for fall term college courses.

EAC – Environmental Advisory Committee – the governing body of environmental action at Carleton. Its role is to advise the Vice President and Treasurer of the college, as well as engage and support student sustainability projects.

ECC – Education and Curriculum Committee. Major policy development committee that reports to the faculty, co-chaired by the Provost. Membership includes Associate Provost David Liben-Nowell, a faculty co-chair, four other faculty, and five students.

EthIC – Ethical Inquiry at Carleton. EthIC is a college initiative that grew out of the Program in Ethical Reflection at Carleton (PERC). In response to efforts by the President and Office of the Provost, EthIC is designed to encourage and facilitate the ethical inquiry which is integral to a liberal arts environment.

FAC – Faculty Affairs Committee. Faculty “ombuds” committee that promotes faculty interests, mediates faculty issues with each other or administrators, etc. Oversees changes to the part of the Faculty Handbook that requires faculty approval.

FCC – Faculty Compensation Committee. Faculty committee reporting to the FAC. The Provost and Vice President and Treasurer sit on it ex-officio.

FCPC – Faculty Curricular Planning Committee. Chaired by the Provost, with faculty elected to ECC plus Associate Provost David Liben-Nowell as members, the FCPC advises the Provost on curricular planning and allocation of faculty positions.

FDA – Faculty Development Account for receiving professional development funds.

FDE – Faculty Development Endowment. Fund that supports faculty fellowships on a competitive basis. “Large” grants provide up to one term’s salary and “small” grants of up to $3,000 support smaller projects.

FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

FOCA – Faculty on continuing appointment, without the possibility of tenure.

FOCUS – Focusing on Cultivating Scientists. FOCUS is designed for students interested in science and promoting diversity in the sciences. FOCUS supports students through their entry into the study of science/math at Carleton and as they continue in the curriculum by creating a cohort which enrolls in classes together (in so far as this makes sense), meets regularly in a colloquium throughout the first year, and has an opportunity for work study in the sciences.

FORUM – Organization of exempt staff at Carleton.

FPC – Faculty Personnel Committee. Committee that makes tenure recommendations to the President and Provost and oversees third-year reviews. Composed of five elected tenured faculty, the Provost, and President.

HEDS – Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium. A group of 140+ private liberal arts colleges who share data on specific topics. HEDS also coordinates or produces comparative information for a number of national or HEDS-designed surveys.

HERI – Higher Education Research Institute. Host to the CIRP suite of surveys (Freshman Survey, Your First College Year, and the College Senior Survey). HERI also runs the HERI Faculty Survey every three years.

HHMI – Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Major granting agency which has significantly supported student research, equipment, and outreach programs in biochemistry, biophysics, and neuroscience fields at Carleton.

HLC – Higher Learning Commission. Our regional accrediting organization.

The Hub – Carleton’s online portal for viewing information such as budgets, personnel information, course information, student bills, etc.

IACUC – Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The committee is responsible for overseeing all activities involving animals at Carleton. As mandated by federal law, the committee must review and approve all research and teaching activities involving animals, to ascertain that these activities meet ethical standards for humane animal care and use, in accord with the standards set out by the NIH and USDA.

IBC – The Institutional Biosafety Committee is responsible for overseeing research performed at Carleton involving recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules.

IDE – The Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) Steering Group is tasked with developing and running the College’s IDE planning process.

IFSA – Interfaith Social Action. Student group that meets to reflect on the social justice commitments within each faith and to take action.

IRB – Institutional Review Board. The IRB is responsible for overseeing all research done at Carleton by faculty, students or staff that involves human subjects. The goals of the IRB are to ensure that researchers understand and uphold the following two standards dictated by federal law: 1) Human subjects should not be placed at undue risk; 2) Subjects should give uncoerced, informed consent to their participation in the research.

ITS – Information Technology Services. Provides technological assistance and support to the Carleton community.

IPEDS – Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System. A collection of mandatory annual surveys collected by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education.

ISL – The Office of International Student Life advises students on immigration, legal, employment, financial and personal matters, and organizes international programming in support of international students.

JFAC – Junior Faculty Affairs Committee. A committee reporting to the FAC to support untenured Carleton faculty.

KRLX – Student-run campus radio station, on the air at 88.1 FM.

LAB – Leadership Advisory Board. A group of staff across the College who manage offices or programs. The LAB serves as a sounding board, problem-solving forum, and implementation partner for key campus challenges and initiatives.

LACOL – The Liberal Arts Collaborative for Digital Innovation is a partnership of 10 kindred colleges: Amherst, Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Davidson, Haverford, Pomona, Swarthmore, Vassar, Washington & Lee, and Williams. The purpose of the consortium is to support experimentation and research into the effective uses of online learning tools in residential liberal arts environments.

LIBIT – Library and IT advisory committee. The LIBIT committee is made up of faculty, staff, and students who reflect on current and emerging library and technology issues of importance to supporting the academic life on the College.

LDC – Language and Dining Center.

LTC – Learning and Teaching Center (the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching). Led by a faculty coordinator, the Center supports learning and teaching at Carleton, runs a student observer program, organizes the mentoring program, sponsors numerous workshops and seminars and maintains a teaching and learning library.

MCAN – The Multicultural Alumni Network (MCAN) at Carleton College exists to support alumni efforts on behalf of students and alumni who identify as persons of color.

MIAC – Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference, Carleton’s primary athletic league.

Moodle – Carleton’s learning management system commonly used as an online supplement to classroom instruction.

MPCC – Minnesota Private Colleges Council – An organization of 17 private, four-year liberal arts colleges whose mission is to preserve and enhance quality private higher education to serve the education and economics needs of Minnesota.

MSC – The Math Skills Center (MSC) supports students in any mathematics or math-related in which they are experiencing difficulty.

OAR – The Office of Accessibility Resources promotes access and equity for students to ensure learning and working opportunities for students with disabilities.

OHP – The Office of Health Promotion is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of all Carls. OHP’s primary strategies for achieving this include: skill-building to promote overall well-being, advocating for healthy environments, educating to prevent high risk behavior, and mobilizing campus to adopt healthier norms.

OIL – The Office of Intercultural Life (OIL) strives to enhance the student experience by providing programming and support that advocates for a just and inclusive community.

OCS – Off-Campus Studies. Usually refers to the faculty committee which oversees the off-campus studies program, setting calendar and making policy. Sometimes refers to the office administering the programs or the programs themselves.

PAC – Parents Advisory Council. A group of current parents who advise the President of the College, serve as a resource to Carleton students and alumni, communicate with the parent community, and nurture a tradition of parent giving.

PEPS – Presentation Events and Production Support. A group under the ITS umbrella that is the single point of contact for all presentation and production technologies for classes and campus events.

POSSE – A team of underrepresented students selected to attend Carleton College by The Posse Foundation. A Posse is a simple concept that works for both students and college campuses, a concept rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students, a Posse, carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development.

Public Works – A four-year initiative centered on public-oriented work in the arts and humanities undertaken through collaborative partnerships with diverse organizations and communities beyond the Carleton campus.

QRC – Quantitative Resource Center. The Center supports quantitative skills and reasoning across the curriculum, including faculty and staff professional development, and coordinates support for the development of students’ applied quantitative skills.

QRE – Students must complete three Quantitative Reasoning Encounters as part of Carleton’s graduation requirements.

SAC – Staff At Carleton. Organization of Carleton non-exempt staff.

S/Cr/NC – (Pronounced “scrunch.”) Satisfactory/Credit/No Credit. Term used for taking a course ungraded, as opposed to the norm of taking a course for a grade which counts toward the student’s GPA.

SDA – Student Departmental Adviser. A select group of senior students whose primary function is to provide fellow students with accurate information about courses, pre-requisites, college requirements, registration procedures and other basic academic information, especially in their own departments.

SEAMS – Seamless Administrative Services. The SEAMS initiative involves replacing the College’s current administrative software across campus. Launched in 2020, this initiative will remain active through 2025.

SERC – Science Education Resource Center. SERC works to improve education through projects that support educators. Although the work has a particular emphasis on undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, SERC works with educators across a broad range of disciplines and at all educational levels.

SHAC – Student Health and Counseling. Student Health and Counseling is the no-cost, on-campus, physical and mental health care clinic for students at Carleton. SHAC is committed to provide physical and mental health needs from a holistic perspective, with a focus on education for lifelong learning and optimum health.

SLAI – Summer Liberal Arts Institute (formerly SAP, Summer Academic Programs). A variety of summer academic programs for pre-college students and AP educators taught primarily by Carleton faculty.

SWA – Student Wellness Advocates. The SWAs support and implement health educational programs, create health communication pieces, and develop resources for Carls to utilize in supporting their well-being.

TPPC – Technology Priorities and Planning Committee. Committee charged with understanding, keeping abreast and discussing important initiatives undertaken by ITS and helping to articulate and establish strategic priorities for future initiatives.

TRIO/SSS – TRIO/Student Support Services (TRIO/SSS) program is federally funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Assists participants in overcoming social, cultural, financial, personal, academic, and other challenges to fully participate in the life of the college and ultimately achieve the goal of graduation.

WAC – Writing Across the Curriculum. The WAC office oversees the sophomore portfolio program and helps to promote writing instruction across campus.