Campus Update

An outstanding first-year class of over 300 students and nearly 90 new transfer students arrived on campus for the start of the fall semester August 29. New and returning students were greeted with a number of changes to the campus landscape, as well as several projects in progress:

• Construction is underway on a 15,000-square-foot addition to the Yates-Gill College Union. This work will take virtually the entire academic year, causing some inconvenience, but will result in a beautiful addition and renovation to the building.

• Construction is also underway on the Fred and Shirley Pryor Center for Leadership Development. This is a renovation of the former Kappa Alpha house on the south edge of the campus. The renovated building will be a state-of-the art classroom facility when it is completed around the first of January.

• A new parking lot has been added north of the Mabee Center and the “sahara” lot has been completely resurfaced.

• Browning, Jones and Eaton Halls were all improved over the summer. The windows have been replaced in Browning and each residential room has been updated with a new fan-coil (heating and cooling) unit, new flooring, and a fresh coat of paint. In Jones, the carpet was replaced and the carpet on the walls was removed. The walls have a clean painted finish rather than the wall carpet. The first floor in Eaton has been refinished as well.

• The restrooms in Greene Stadium have been given a fresh look. All the old fixtures and partitions have been removed. The bathrooms have been reconfigured to accommodate more fixtures and to provide free accessibility.

• Information technology changes include the installation of numerous wireless connections on campus, new switches, new servers and a faster connection to the Internet. Speed on our network and to the Internet will improve significantly. The Academic Technology Center opened in Marston 306, with 28 new computers and a much needed space for academic testing, technology training, and cyberspace presentations. In addition, new Help Desk resources have been enabled, and the computer classrooms in Jewell Hall have been outfitted with new machines, providing the latest technology to faculty and students. A number of classrooms in Marston Hall and White Science Center have been upgraded with new technology installations.

• Design and installation of new signage across campus has been completed and a number of landscaping projects are also underway.

U.S. News & World Report Cites Jewell’s First-Year Experience as a ‘Program To Look For’

The 2006 “America’s Best Colleges” edition of U.S. News & World Report has named William Jewell College’s First Year Experience as a “Program To Look For” in its annual ranking of the best American colleges and universities.

“Orientation can go only so far in making freshmen feel connected,” the magazine notes in its annual college guide, which hit newsstands on Monday, August 22. “Many schools now build into the curriculum first-year seminars or other academic programs that bring small groups of students together with faculty or staff on a regular basis.”

William Jewell College president Dr. David Sallee expressed satisfaction at the college’s most recent accolade: “We are gratified that the work we are doing to facilitate the transition to college life has received national recognition,” Dr. Sallee said. “This recognition provides important validation of Jewell’s student-centered approach to providing a superior liberal arts education.”

The 2006 edition marks the fourth year that U.S. News has published lists of schools with outstanding examples of programs that are believed to lead to student success.

“With the help of education experts, including staff members of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, we identified eight such program types,” the magazine states. “We then invited college presidents, chief academic officers, and deans of admission to nominate up to 10 institutions with stellar examples of each kind of program.”

Colleges and universities that were mentioned most often are included in the publication. In addition to First-Year Experiences, other types of programs cited included internships, study abroad, service learning and undergraduate research. Jewell’s First-Year program was one of 43 nationwide named for excellence from among more than 3,500 institutions of higher learning.

William Jewell has been among the pioneers of the First-Year Experience programs for college students. Jewell’s orientation and assimilation program was previously cited by TIME Magazine, which named William Jewell its “Liberal Arts College of the Year” for 2001-02.

Jewell’s First-Year Experience program is aimed at easing the transition to college life for incoming students. It includes such elements as a shared introductory seminar, assignment of multiple faculty and student contacts for newcomers and leadership development opportunities.

William Jewell Among Princeton Review’s ‘The Best 361 Colleges’ for 2006

William Jewell College has been named one of the nation’s 361 best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company features the college in The Best 361 Colleges, the new 2006 edition of its annual “best colleges” guide. Only about 15% of the four-year colleges in America and two Canadian colleges appear in the guidebook, which features profiles on the schools and student survey-based rankings in various categories.

The guidebook cites Jewell’s “highly selective and extremely intense” Oxbridge Honors Program, which offers instruction in the English tutorial style. The Review noted that “the distinctive quality of the Jewell student body is a repeated emphasis on thoughtfulness and self-reflection,” and scored the college among the top 20 in community relations (#2) and “happiest students” (#14).

“The main factor in our selection of schools in the book was our high regard for their academic programs,” says Robert Franek, vice president of publishing at The Princeton Review. “We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students, and visits to schools over the years. We also considered the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we talk to and survey. Finally, we worked to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

The ranking lists in The Best 361 Colleges are based on The Princeton Review’s survey of 110,000 students attending the colleges in the book. Students rated their schools on several topics and reported on their campus experiences. Ranking list categories range from best professors, administration and campus food to lists based on student body political leanings, interests in sports and other aspects of campus life. The Princeton Review posts the book’s ranking lists on its website at www. PrincetonReview.com.

The Best 361 Colleges is the 14th edition of The Princeton Review’s annual “best colleges” guide. The Princeton Review, which is known for its education, admission and test-prep services, has previously cited William Jewell as the number one “Best Bargain” among private colleges and as a “Best Value” among all colleges.

Jewell introduces Sophomore Year Experience

Following up on the success of its nationally recognized First-Year Experience that has eased the transition to college life for hundreds of incoming students, William Jewell College is launching a new Sophomore Year Experience aimed at extending the assisted period of adjustment to the academic and social components of college life.

“William Jewell’s first-year and orientation initiatives have been recognized nationally and continue to be highly successful at assisting new students with their transition to college, preparing them for the academic rigor and social integration that occurs within the campus community during the first year,” said Rick Winslow, Dean of Students at William Jewell. “In initiating the Sophomore Year Experience, our intention is to extend those same principles in a comprehensive and integrated way to facilitate students’ transition from the first year to the sophomore year.”

Winslow said that the new program focuses on two institutional imperatives related to sophomore level students. First, it will immerse students in an active and directed program of service to the larger community, which is one of the key elements of the college’s mission. As part of the Sophomore Year Experience, sophomore students will hope to work with Habitat for Humanity.

A second emphasis of the program will focus on the specific developmental needs of sophomore students, whom studies show often experience some measure of disorientation during the second year of college.

“The research indicates that sophomore students often describe a kind of lull and have expressed a sense of feeling lost during this particular year of college,” Winslow said. “Sophomores can end up searching socially and academically for direction, and may feel that they lack a needed support system for this unique stage in the collegiate maturation process. The result can be difficulties in committing to a discipline of study.”

To better assist the developmental needs of sophomore students, William Jewell will be developing new programs and services targeted at students during their second year of college. These services include the designation of a college staff member to work specifically for and with sophomores. The college will be providing additional advising opportunities for sophomores, in addition to more focused opportunities for interaction between students and faculty.

Woman’s Committee Serves Campus

The President’s Home, which observes its centennial this year (see article on page 8), is among the many beneficiaries of the work of the Woman’s Committee. For its spring 2003 meeting, the group hosted a hospitality shower for the President’s Home. Table linens, glassware, china and serving pieces were purchased for the purpose of entertaining guests during receptions and other gatherings. Individual members of the Woman’s Committee donated heirloom silver pieces to enhance the home’s gracious hospitality.

Following the devastation of the 2003 tornado, which destroyed 48 trees on the grounds of the President’s Home, Woman’s Committee members purchased expansive planter boxes for the veranda. Now filled with beautiful flowers and greenery, the large planters are a beautiful addition to a landscape that is missing all of its century trees.

Other recent projects have included the founding of the First Ladies Gallery, hosting a Christmas Tree Festival, and the purchase of original art work for the lobby of the renovated Melrose Hall.

Formed in 1965 by a group of Liberty alumnae, Woman’s Committee has expanded to include women across the country joining in support of the college. The Committee quickly identified its role as funding scholarships for deserving women students and pursuing some practical and aesthetic projects for the campus. Over 100 scholarships have been awarded in the 40-year history of the Woman’s Committee.

“One of the delights of my role is seeing how many ways this campus is loved,” said presidential spouse, Mary Sallee. “The interest and generosity of Woman’s Committee begins with students, expands to the president’s home, and overflows to the rest of the campus. Financial gifts make scholarships and projects possible. The gifts of ‘nurture’ and ‘personal interest’ enrich our lives.”

Woman’s Committee is open to alumni, faculty and staff, parents/grandparents of current and former students and other friends of the college. For information on membership, please contact membership chair Judy Rychlewski at 816-415-5938, or by email at rychlewskj@william.jewell.edu.