Class of 2013 excels

Members of the class of 2013 share the first walk around the Quad, a tradition that is repeated on commencement day. The fall 2009 entering class has the strongest academic profile in William Jewell history. The new class scored record numbers in key measures of quality, including average ACT (25.80), percentage of valedictorians (9.9%), highest percentage of students in the top quarter of their high school class (67.8%) and highest percentage of class members with an ACT of 28 or higher (36.6%). International student enrollment included representatives from Cameroon, China, France, Germany, Nepal, Nigeria, Spain and Turkmenistan. First-year students enjoyed a full weekend of activities in August, with upper-class student mentors leading them through a series of get-acquainted exercises that included challenges on the College’s Tucker Leadership Lab ropes course. William Jewell’s programs for first-year students have been recognized nationally.

National recognition

William Jewell College has received several recent institutional accolades from national publications. Jewell was named among “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes magazine in a ranking published in August. The College was also named one of The Princeton Review’s “The Best 371 Colleges” in its 2010 edition, and was listed among the top 186 national liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” rankings for 2009. William Jewell is the only national liberal arts college in the Kansas City region. For more information, visit the Jewell Headlines section of the College’s web site.

Honoring service

Civic leaders were honored for public service at Opening Convocation ceremonies marking the beginning of a new school year September 9 in John Gano Memorial Chapel on the William Jewell College campus. This year’s recipients of the William F. Yates Trustee Medallion for Distinguished Service were Joan Berkley, philanthropist and community activist; Dr. William P. Duncan, retired President of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute; and Dr. James L. Spigarelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Midwest Research Institute.  Addressing students and guests at Opening Convocation ceremonies was Dr. Carl J. Schramm, President and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. Dr. Schramm is recognized as one of the world’s foremost thinkers on the importance of entrepreneurship to a nation’s economic growth. The William F. Yates Medallion for Distinguished Service is named for a William Jewell College graduate of the class of 1898, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees and major benefactor to the college. The first Yates Medallions were awarded in 1980, and the list of recipients includes a “Who’s Who” of Kansas City leaders.

Amazing racer

William Jewell College student Dan McMillen, a senior business and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major, is a contestant this season on the CBS series “The Amazing Race.” McMillen is competing along with his brother, Sam, in the Emmy Award-winning international reality show competition airing Sunday nights this fall. Dan traveled to Japan and Vietnam in the show’s premiere episode, then to Cambodia, the U.A.E., and the Netherlands in subsequent programs. The race will take contestants to Sweden, Estonia and the Czech Republic before concluding in Las Vegas. For photos and episode recaps, visit “The Amazing Race” site at http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/recaps/1507/recaps.php?season=15

William Jewell offers Cardinal Term events

William Jewell College will offer a series of free seminars, public lectures, film screenings and other activities on the campus during the new “Cardinal Term” running January 10 through 19. The events are free and open to the public. “The extended winter break is the ideal time for such activities,” said Jewell president Dr. David Sallee. “This is an opportunity to learn about intriguing subjects in a relaxed atmosphere.” Courses will be taught by William Jewell alumni, faculty and friends of the College. No credit will be given.

The new Cardinal Term revives the tradition of William Jewell’s informal “Winterim,” a series of courses that were taught between semesters prior to 1995. “In talking with alumni, I often heard about the great memories they have of the winter term courses,” Dr. Sallee said. “I thought this would be a good opportunity for alumni to come back and engage with our current students.”

The informal courses will feature a wide variety of topics, including Afghan history, independent filmmaking, sustainability in business, and music of the Holocaust. Seminar length and format will vary by topic and instructor. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for the seminars to allow for adequate classroom space. The deadline for pre-registration is January 8. For more information, contact Dr. Ron Witzke, associate dean for the Core Curriculum, at witzker@william.jewell.edu or 816-415-7532. The full schedule and enrollment information can be found at
http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/Cardinal_Term_p5777.html