Occasionally, the Board of Directors makes a statement on behalf of the Colleges That Change Lives organization. For media inquiries, please contact our executive director.
Statement on Testing, October 2020
The Board of Directors for Colleges That Change Lives recognizes how difficult it is for students to take a standardized test this year amidst a global pandemic. Over 40 of our member colleges are test-optional, and we encourage students for whom taking the test would be a hardship or who feel unsafe going to a testing site to skip testing altogether. As a Board, we recognize that health and safety is of primary importance. As part of our mission to de-stress the college search process, we want you to know that the college search can be done without a test score, and we support our test-optional institutions and their holistic review processes.
Statement on #blacklivesmatter, June 2020
The tragic and senseless murders of Black people across our country over the past several centuries, but most recently with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, indicate that we still have much work to do and that at this point not every Black life matters. As educators, we have responsibility to seek and teach justice, to call out injustice, and to lead our students and colleagues to a better tomorrow where every Black life will finally matter.
The Colleges That Change Lives Board of Directors believes that through education comes change. And while change will be different for every individual, in our country’s current state, change is long overdue. Change must happen now, and we each have a responsibility and role to play in that change moving forward.
We implore students and educators, both within our organization and across the country, to do more, do better — to speak up in the face of injustice and to lead the change starting now. This change may come in the form of reading and learning, watching videos and listening to podcasts, voting, donating, peacefully protesting, listening and talking. No matter what action you take, please, take action, as words are not enough. You may just change — or even save — a life.
We stand in solidarity with the Black community as they demand justice — just as we do.
Many of us in education turn to books when we are lost or hurt or desire to understand more about complex issues. Consider these suggested readings and materials as opportunities to educate yourself to become a more informed and supportive colleague, citizen, and human as we work together to heal and grow and eliminate the systemic racism in our country.
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Citizen: An American Lyric – Claudia Rankine
The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
The Fire This Time – Jesmyn Ward
Heavy: An American Memoir – Kiese Laymon
How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X Kendi
The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
They Can’t Kill Us All – Wesley Lowery
White Fragility – Robin Diangelo
White Rage – Carol Anderson
Other book and media lists:
Antiracist Reading List
Anti-racism Resources
Black Lives Matter Reading List
Understanding and Dismantling Racism: A Booklist for White Readers
We support our students, faculty, colleagues, staff, alumni, and supporters of color. For close to 25 years, we have touted our institutions as places that change lives. Let’s live it, not say it.
COVID-19, May 2020
The CTCL member-schools are closely monitoring the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak. Each cares deeply about the health and safety of everyone in their campus and surrounding community. As such, they are working closely with local and state partners to monitor and address this pandemic outbreak as it pertains to their campus situtation. To learn more about each member school’s current campus status as well as plans for the academic terms, please check with each school directly.