History of ACCA
Former Members Institutions of ACCA
Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of THE ASSOCIATED COLLEGES OF THE CHICAGO AREA, 1966-2016
Written by Marv Bartell, ACCA Executive Director (2004-2023) and Frank Pascoe, ACCA Chairperson 2016
For a voluntary organization such as ACCA to survive and thrive for 50 years is truly remarkable. This is due to the commitment of the member institutions and the dedicated leadership and activity of numerous faculty and administrators over the years. Some of these leaders are mentioned later in this booklet, but there are many others who also deserve credit. It is with gratitude to all these leaders that over the years thousands of students have benefitted from experiences provided by ACCA.
ACCA’s beginning was due to the fact that in the early 1960’s laboratory equipment which had originally figured in President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” program was made available by Argonne National Laboratory to faculty from area colleges. Mr. Jerry Baird was assigned to oversee the training of these faculty members and the scheduling of equipment.
By 1965, faculty were using the equipment in the Instructional Laboratories of Building 22 to upgrade their laboratory courses in such areas as nuclear physics, radio chemistry, analytical chemistry, and radiation biology. Students would accompany their professors to Argonne for several afternoons each semester in order to perform experiments on equipment which they did not have on their own campuses. In 1965 informal advisory groups of faculty suggested training programs for college faculty sponsored by the Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering which was the educational division of Argonne.
At the suggestion of these faculty advisory committees, Jerry Baird initiated a conversation about mutual cooperation with each private liberal arts college within commuting distance of Argonne. The formal incorporation of the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area was the culmination of both the suggestion of interested faculty and Jerry Baird’s interaction with academic deans. Dean Mark Trumbo of Aurora College particularly encouraged the formation of a consortium of liberal arts colleges to facilitate cooperation with Argonne National Laboratory.
Over a period of several months, Jerry Baird and Dr. M. D. Peterson, Acting Director of the International Institute, met with each dean on the campus of 18 liberal arts colleges. The idea of a consortium was well received and a committee was formed to draw up by-laws and submit them to each college for approval. The committee consisted of Mark Trumbo (Aurora College), Norb Hruby (Mundelein College), and Victor Arnold (North Central College). After several months the 18 colleges agreed to incorporate as a not-for-profit organization in the state of Illinois. The actual incorporation became official in March of 1966.
The stated purposes of ACCA were fourfold;
- to promote college-level education and training in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics;
- to formalize the cooperative arrangements between the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area and Argonne National Laboratory in the use of laboratory staff and facilities;
- to promote inter-institutional cooperation among the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area, for education and training in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics;
- to establish and promote cooperative arrangements between the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area and laboratories, foundations, and other organizations interested in higher education.
ACCA is therefore one of the oldest consortia of its kind in the United States. Dean Mark Trumbo served as the first Chairperson of the Executive Committee overseeing the activities of ACCA, and Jerry Baird served as the Executive Director of the organization for 29 years until his retirement from Argonne in 1995. Jerry was without doubt the reason ACCA survived successfully for 50 years. He was the organizer, motivator, encourager, instigator and tireless worker behind the scenes putting ACCA on a firm foundation which has endured for all these years.
One of the most successful ongoing activities sponsored by ACCA has been the annual Student Symposium. Held in the spring of the year on a college campus, the symposium provides the opportunity for undergraduates to present their research in the form of papers and posters. Begun in 1967 with approximately 10 students presenting, the Symposium today hosts over 200 students. In 2004, ACCA added another opportunity for collaboration. It initiated a Scholarship of Pedagogy Symposium enabling liberal arts faculty to share innovations in pedagogy with their ACCA colleagues.
The strength of ACCA has always been the faculty initiative and interest which initially linked Argonne National Laboratory and the cooperating colleges. By the late 1980’s the original four divisions had expanded to eight:
- Biology
- Business/Economics
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology
- Sociology/Anthropology
Within each of these disciplines, lectures, seminars, workshops, and cooperative courses have been developed over the years to enhance the educational growth of faculty and students.
A further expansion of the role of ACCA (consistent with its initial objectives) occurred in 1985 when a Cooperative College Botany Program was established with the Morton Arboretum. This program offers year round college botany courses which are available to students from participating ACCA institutions. At least one school used these courses to form a Botany major. An NSF grant funded lab equipment including microscopes and a part-time program coordinator. Many of these courses were only available in the Chicagoland area through this ACCA program. A similar arrangement was established with the Shedd Aquarium in 1999. A special course for ACCA students, titled Marine and Island Ecology of the Bahamas, includes a week-long Bahama’s experience on Shedd’s research vessel. The newest cooperative relationship, started in 2011, is with the Hooke College of Applied Sciences (part of the McCrone Group), offering ACCA students courses and extensive laboratory experience in the field of microscopy.
During the first three decades of ACCA/Argonne activity, much of the support for the various programs was provided by Argonne. In the mid-1990’s the education budget for Argonne was significantly reduced by the Department of Energy. This reached a climax in 1998 when Argonne indicated it could no longer provide the support services to ACCA which it had done previously without significant contributions from each of the member ACCA institutions. The member colleges were not able to provide these resources, so the ACCA/Argonne partnership ended. However, ACCA decided to operate as an organization independent of Argonne, which it continues to do today. ACCA is, however, very grateful for the extensive support which it received from Argonne National Laboratory for many years. We are also excited to be able to return to the location of our founding for our 50th Anniversary Celebration.
As ACCA commemorates its Fiftieth Anniversary at a time of serious societal and educational need in the fields of science and technology, it can take pride in being an organization which was ahead of its time. STEM is the big emphasis presently, but ACCA “WAS STEM” for the last 50 years! Its accomplishments illustrate the special role of the liberal arts college in educating the nation’s scientists. ACCA is well positioned to meet the challenges of a future which will require even greater cooperation among educational institutions and a variety of science organizations, such as ACCA’s current partners and other possible organizations.
Some of the historical information above was excerpted from the records of ACCA’s 25th Anniversary, written by Pat Ward (Wheaton College), then chairperson of ACCA, with the assistance of Jerry Baird.
ACCA Chairpersons, 1966 – 2026
| 1966-67 | Mark Trumbo | Aurora | 1996-97 | Marv Bartell | Concordia |
| 1967-68 | William Dunn | Lake Forest | 1997-98 | David Dickerson | Judson |
| 1968-69 | Victor Arnold | North Central | 1998-99 | Phyllis Kittel | Benedictine |
| 1969-70 | Clifford Holmes | George Williams | 1999-2000 | Phyllis Kittel | Benedictine |
| 1970-71 | Peter Veltman | Wheaton | 2000-01 | Michael Bell | Elmhurst |
| 1971-72 | Carl Waldschmidt | Concordia | 2001-02 | Michael Bell | Elmhurst |
| 1972-73 | Willis Snowbarger | Olivet | 2002-03 | Marv Bartell | Concordia |
| 1973-74 | Mark Trumbo | Aurora | 2003-04 | Frank Pascoe | St. Francis |
| 1974-75 | Norman Carroll | Rosary | 2004-05 | Frank Pascoe | St. Francis |
| 1975-76 | Norman Carroll | Rosary | 2005-06 | Dev Pandian | North Central |
| 1976-77 | Rudolph Block | Concordia | 2006-07 | Dev Pandian | North Central |
| 1977-78 | Edgar Boss | Judson | 2007-08 | Rick Venneri | St. Xavier |
| 1978-79 | Peter Veltman | Wheaton | 2008-09 | Rick Venneri | St. Xavier |
| 1979-80 | Sr. Jean Delores Schmidt | Mundelein | 2009-10 | Alzada Tipton | Elmhurst |
| 1980-81 | Charles Rhee | George Williams | 2010-11 | Alzada Tipton | Elmhurst |
| 1981-82 | James Taylor | North Central | 2011-12 | Dale Simmons | Judson |
| 1982-83 | Marvin Camburn | Illinois Benedictine | 2012-13 | Greg Chenoweth | Olivet |
| 1983-84 | Sr. Jean Delores Schmidt | Mundelein | 2013-14 | Bonnie Bondavalli | Lewis |
| 1984-85 | Raphal Mascari | Lewis | 2014-15 | Bonnie Bondavalli | Lewis |
| 1985-86 | Burton Rozema | Trinity Christian | 2015-16 | Frank Pascoe | St. Francis |
| 1986-87 | E. Harold Harper | Judson | 2016-17 | Frank Pascoe | St. Francis |
| 1987-88 | Marjorie Marion | St. Francis | 2017-18 | Gregor Thuswaldner | North Park |
| 1988-89 | Ivor Newsham | Olivet | 2018-19 | Gregor Thuswaldner | North Park |
| 1989-90 | John Bohnert | Elmhurst | 2019-20 | Lanette Poteete-Young | Judson |
| 1990-91 | Kathleen Owens | Lewis | 2020-21 | Lanette Poteete-Young | Judson |
| 1991-92 | Patricia A. Ward | Wheaton | 2021-22 | Chris White | Lewis |
| 1992-93 | Jerry Berberet | North Central | 2022-23 | Chris White | Lewis |
| 1993-94 | Jerry Berberet | North Central | 2023-24 | Chris White | Lewis |
| 1994-95 | Robert Preston | Benedictine | 2024-25 | Chris White | Lewis |
| 1995-96 | Marv Bartell | Concordia | 2025-26 | John Fry | Trinity Christian |
Former Member Institutions of ACCA
- Trinity International University (ceased undergraduate programs in 2023)
- Mundelein College (now part of Loyola University)
- Lake Forest College
- George Williams College (now part of Aurora University)