Council of Leaders of Liberal Arts Units at Technological Universities

Our Mission

The Council of Leaders of Liberal Arts Units at Technological Universities (CoLLT) empowers liberal arts units at colleges and universities of science and technology to thrive within STEM-driven environments by providing the advocacy, resources, community, and shared expertise needed to elevate their work and amplify their impact.

Why We Exist

Liberal arts units embedded within colleges and universities of science and technology not only enrich their own programs within the context of STEM campuses. They are also essential for preparing future technologists who can think critically, communicate clearly, and understand the social and cultural implications of their work. This dual task offers opportunities and challenges that often differ from humanities and social sciences departments at traditional universities, including deliberate multidisciplinary/hybrid hiring, assessment, and evaluation; collaborative integration of ethics, communication, and other human-context instruction into fast-evolving technological curricula; alignment of scholarship and research with colleagues and projects piloted by STEM methodologies, practices, and reward and funding sources. 

CoLLT provides a dedicated platform for these units to collaborate, share models, coordinate efforts, and advocate collectively. CoLLT strengthens the visibility, resources, and impact of the liberal arts in technological ecosystems by offering shared tools, cross-campus partnerships and collaborative scholarship, faculty support networks, and evidence-based arguments for the centrality of human-centered knowledge and responsible innovation in an increasingly tech-centered world.

Membership

CoLLT is a group of like-minded peers, and membership is available to all those in leadership positions (deans, associate deans, chairs, directors) in the liberal arts at academic institutions focused on technology and science. We do not charge fees or require work or services beyond the collaborative and supportive spirit that unites us. We meet once per semester at one of our institutions and focus on an agreed-upon theme.

CoLLT was founded in April 2026 during its first meeting at the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology.