Great Lakes Colleges Association

Great Lakes Colleges Association
AbbreviationGLCA
Formation1962
TypeHigher education consortium
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
PurposeStrengthening member colleges and liberal arts & sciences education
HeadquartersAnn Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Region served
Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
Websitewww.glca.org

The Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) is a consortium of liberal arts colleges located in the states around the Great Lakes. The GLCA's offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and its schools are located in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It was chartered in the state of Michigan and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1962.[1] Its stated mission is to take actions that will help strengthen and preserve its colleges, being a leading force on behalf of education in the tradition of the liberal arts and sciences.[1]

The organization is the founder and administrator of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance.[2]

Operations

GLCA operates the GLCA-TRE (Tuition Remission Exchange) program. Its member colleges, along with other participating colleges, take part in the program, for a total of 21 institutions. Students eligible for tuition remission because of parental employment at one of the participating colleges may receive tuition remission at one of the other colleges in the exchange.[3]

New Writers Award

The GLCA administers the New Writers Award, founded in 1970, which recognizes authors for their first books in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.[4] Judges are faculty members at GLCA member colleges, and winners are invited to visit GLCA campuses for readings and discussions.[4] According to Poets & Writers, three prizes are awarded annually, and winners receive campus-visit travel support and an honorarium of at least $500.[5] Notable recipients include Alice Munro (1974), who later won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013,[6][7] and Louise Erdrich (1985), who later won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Night Watchman.[6][8]

Winners of the GLCA New Writers Award (1970–present)[6]
Year Poetry Fiction Creative nonfiction
2026 Tarik Dobbs — Nazar Boy: Poems Alisa Alering — Smothermoss Hala Alyan — I'll Tell You When I'm Home
2025 Sarah Ghazal Ali — Theophanies Jessica Elisheva Emerson — Olive Days KB Brookins — Pretty
2024 Jesse Nathan — Eggtooth D.K. Nnuro — What Napoleon Could Not Do Roger Reeves — Dark Days
2023 James Fujinami Moore — indecent hours Tsering Yangzom Lama — We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies Lars Horn — Voice of the Fish: A Lyric Essay
2022 Sumita Chakraborty — Arrow Michael X. Wang — Further News of Defeat Melissa Valentine — The Names of All the Flowers
2021 Marianne Chan — All Heathens Gabriel Bump — Everywhere You Don’t Belong Nina Boutsikaris — I’m Trying to Tell You I’m Sorry
2020 Aaron Coleman — Threat Come Close Eric Schlich — Quantum Convention Sarah Viren — Mine: Essays
2019 Marcelo Hernandez Castillo — Cenzontle Dawn Davies — Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces Lesley Nneka Arimah — What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
2018 Chen Chen — When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities Emily Fridlund — History of Wolves Hilary Plum — Watchfires
2017 Nate Marshall — Wild Hundreds Charles Boyer — History’s Child Randall Horton — Hook
2016 Natalie Scenters-Zapico — The Verging Cities Lauren Acampora — The Wonder Garden Shulem Deen — All Who Go Do Not Return
2015 Tarfia Faizullah — Seam David James Poissant — The Heaven of Animals Angela Pelster — Limber
2014 Natalie Shapero — No Object E.J. Levy — Love, in Theory Joe Wilkins — The Mountain and the Fathers: Growing Up on the Big Dry
2013 Rowan Ricardo Phillips — The Ground Ismet Prcic — Shards Benjamin Busch — Dust to Dust
2012 Shane Book — Ceiling of Sticks Alan Heathcock — Volt Danielle Cadena Deulen — The Riots
2011 Nick Lantz — We Don’t Know We Don’t Know Goldie Goldbloom — Toads’ Museum of Freaks and Wonders Randi Davenport — The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes
2010 Kevin McFadden — Hardscrabble Josh Weil — The New Valley Diana Joseph — I’m Sorry You Feel That Way
2009 Aracelis Girmay — Teeth Don Waters — Desert Gothic Melissa J. Delbridge — Family Bible
2008 Lynne Thompson — Beg No Pardon Andy Mozina — The Women Were Leaving the Men Ander Monson — Neck Deep and Other Predicaments
2007 Jay Hopler — Green Squall Tony D’Souza — Whiteman —
2006 Anele Rubin — Trying to Speak David Harris Ebenbach — Between Camelots —
2005 Dana Roeser — Beautiful Motion Scott Nadelson — Saving Stanley: The Brickman Stories —
2004 Mary Szybist — Granted Patricia Sarrifian Ward — The Bullet Collection —
2003 Beth Ann Fennelly — Open House Kellie Wells — Compression Scars —
2002 Mong-Lan — Song of the Cicadas Elizabeth Rosner — The Speed of Light —
2001 Tenaya Darlington — Madame Deluxe Michael Zadoorian — Secondhand —
2000 Dana Levin — In the Surgical Theatre William Oren — Zombi, You My Love —
1999 Craig Arnold — Shells Becky Hagenston — A Gram of Mars —
1998 Mary Jo Bang — Apology for Want Alison McGhee — Rainlight —
1997 Juanita Brunk — Brief Landing on the Earth’s Surface Brad Watson — Last Days of the Dog-Men —
1996 Lynn Powell — Old & New Testaments Geoffrey Becker — Dangerous Men —
1995 Alice Anderson — Human Nature Terese Svoboda — Cannibal —
1994 Kim Addonizio — The Philosopher’s Club — —
1993 Julia Kasdorf — Sleeping Preacher Jane McCafferty — Director of the World and Other Stories —
1992 Mary Stewart Hammond — Out of Canaan Charlotte Watson Sherman — Killing Color —
1991 Daniel Hall — Hermit With Landscape Susan Straight — Aquaboogie —
1990 Stefanie Marlis — Slow Joy William Patrick — Roxa —
1989 Fleda Brown Jackson — Fishing With Blood Jane Hamilton — The Book of Ruth —
1988 Charlie Smith — Red Roads Brett Laidlaw — Three Nights in the Heart of the Earth —
1987 James McKean — Headlong Gabrielle Burton — Heartbreak Hotel —
1986 Andrew Hudgins — Saints and Sinners Pamela Painter — Getting to Know the Weather —
1985 Lynn Emanuel — Hotel Fiesta Louise Erdrich — Love Medicine —
1984 Ralph Burns — Us Charles Dickinson — Waltz in Marathon —
1983 Maria Flook — Reckless Wedding Michael Joyce — The War Outside Ireland —
1982 Jared Carter — Work, for the Night is Coming Annabel Thomas — The Phototropic Woman —
1981 Jorie Graham — Hybrids of Plants and Ghosts Mary Hedin — Fly Away Home —
1980 Robert Bohm — In the Americas Eve Shelnutt — The Love Child —
1979 Leslie Ullman — Natural Histories Caroline Richards — Sweet Country —
1978 Eugene Ruggles — The Lifeguard in the Snow Jonathan Penner — Going Blind —
1977 David St. John — Hush Richard Ford — A Piece of My Heart —
1976 Betty Adcock — Walking Out Rosellen Brown — The Autobiography of My Mother —
1975 Elisauitta Ritchie — Tightening the Circle Over Eel Country Hilma Wolitzer — Ending —
1974 — Margaret Craven — I Heard an Owl Call My Name
Alice Munro — Dance of the Happy Shades
—
1973 Daniel Halpern — Traveling on Credit Inge Trachtenberg — So Slow the Dawning
Clark Blaise — A North American Education
—
1972 Colette Inez — The Woman Who Loved Worms Theodore Weesner — The Car Thief —
1971 David Henderson — De Mayor of Harlem James Park Sloan — War Games —
1970 — Elizabeth Cullinan — House of Gold —

The Philadelphia Center, which offers an off-campus study program with the opportunity to gain college credit while living and learning independently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is managed and operated by Albion College in partnership with the GLCA.[9]

In 2008, the consortium extended membership to Allegheny College[10] and, later, Washington & Jefferson College[11].

Member institutions

The GLCA's member institutions are:[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "About Us". Great Lakes Colleges Association. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "About Us". Global Liberal Arts Alliance. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "TRE". Great Lakes Colleges Association. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  4. ^ a b "New Writers Award". Great Lakes Colleges Association. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  5. ^ "New Writers Awards". Poets & Writers. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  6. ^ a b c "NWA List of Winners 1970–2026" (XLSX). Great Lakes Colleges Association. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  7. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013". NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  8. ^ "The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  9. ^ "The Philly Off-Campus Experience". The Philadelphia Center. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  10. ^ "About Us". Great Lakes Colleges Association. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  11. ^ "GLCA Summit Brings Campus Teams Together to Advance Student Success". Great Lakes Colleges Association. 2026-02-27. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  12. ^ "Our Colleges". Great Lakes Colleges Association. Retrieved April 30, 2021.