American International College

School mission (as provided by the school):

American International College was founded in 1885 with the specific mission of preparing the new immigrants flooding into New England to become productive citizens and leaders in their adopted country. This mission has broadened over the years to include students from a wide variety of backgrounds, including first generation students, those seeking a pre-professional experience, international students, and student athletes, as well as those seeking a broad grounding in the liberal arts. In all cases, the mission is to "transform lives" through a strong connection between the student and his or her instructors, a rich campus life, great diversity, and a wide choice of sports and co-curricular activities that build skills in leadership and team work. The undergraduate component of the College has remained intentionally small with just over 1700 students working toward one of over twenty majors in arts and sciences, social science, business, and health sciences. The rigorous General Education curriculum provides all students - regardless of their major field of study - with a solid grounding in writing, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, global and cultural awareness, and social responsibility.

In the past decade, graduate education has expanded considerably, and this trend continued in the academic year 2010-2011, with graduate students now representing approximately half of total enrollment. The large component of the graduate student body is engaged in studies of education across a wide range of specializations - including special needs, early childhood development, school administration and leadership. Other programs include business studies where AIC offered the first MBA (Masters of Business Administration) in Massachusetts outside of the Boston area and launched masters degrees in accounting and taxation and in non-profit management. There are also masters level programs in clinical psychology, human resource development, and public administration, as well as doctorates in Educational Psychology and Forensic Psychology. More recently, the College began offering a doctorate in education, directed at practitioners and school administrators.

The College is located on a 58 acre campus in Springfield, a mid sized city in the Connecticut River Valley with a rich history dating to the colonial period. The campus lies within less the two hours of Boston and three hours of New York City. A majority of AIC students experience internships that are directly tied to their field of study and serve as preparation for the job market. The Office of Career Services maintains strong ties with employers not only in Springfield but also in Connecticut and the Boston area. Students have interned at organizations such as Massachusetts Mutual Life, the Boston Red Sox, ESPN, Lego Systems, the Springfield Museums.

During the academic year 2010-2011 AIC students were engaged in many community activities are part of the College's efforts to be "Springfield's best neighbor." AIC sports teams in track, golf and basketball reached the national finals of the NCAA Division II, and the AIC ice hockey team continues to compete in Division I. The Physical Therapy program graduated its first doctoral students, and a record total number of students received degrees at the May Commencement ceremonies. AIC faculty members presented papers at academic conferences in both the United States and Canada, and the honors program expanded its reach by incorporating a component of student research. The College entered the online learning space with expanded offerings via the Blackboard LMS platform, and continued its investment in technology for the classroom and systems upgrades to streamline administration with the goal of providing the best possible service to its core stakeholders - the students who attend AIC and the families that support them.