UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State continues to reap the benefits of its ongoing involvement with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the academic counterpart to the Big Ten Athletic Conference.
Established in 1958, the CIC includes the 14 universities of the Big Ten and the University of Chicago. Each year, its members work together to save millions of dollars on joint purchases and contracts, share resources with other member campuses and collaborate to solve problems faster.
CIC member universities, including Penn State, together have a powerful voice in the academic conversation across the nation and around the world. CIC universities' annual research expenditures exceed $10 billion – more than the Ivy League and University of California System combined.
A recently released CIC annual report details the collective power and progress of this enterprise, highlighting the Health Disparities initiative between the state Departments of Health and the member schools; faculty collaborations in theater, music education and business; and data on the economic impact of the scientific workforce and funded research conducted across member institutions.
"Although the CIC isn’t quite as well known as the Big Ten, the positive impact it has had on Penn State, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond is immeasurable," said Penn State President Eric Barron. "For our faculty, students and staff to be able to leverage this CIC partnership and work with member institutions in their research, teaching and outreach, we are able to innovate and achieve results on an incredibly high level."
In the report, Barbara McFadden Allen, the CIC’s executive director, noted, "Together, our universities continue to refine what is arguably the most effective means for collaboration in American higher education."
The CIC 2014-15 annual report can be accessed at: http://www.cic.net/docs/default-source/reports/cic-annual-report-feb2016.pdf?sfvrsn=6.