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 new ranking published in August. The college was also named one of The Princeton Review’s “The Best 368 Colleges” in its 2009 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.

Forbes

In conjunction with Dr. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University, and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, Forbes Magazine inaugurated its first ranking of “America’s Best Colleges,” which is projected to be an annual feature. In this report, the CCAP ranks 569 undergraduate institutions based on the quality of the education they provide, and how much their students achieve.

William Jewell was ranked in the number 249 slot out of 569 institutions. Only about 15% of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities were considered for the “America’s Best Colleges” rankings.

According to the Forbes report: “CCAP’s methodology attempts to put itself in a student’s shoes. How good will my professors be? Will the school help me achieve notable career success? If I have to borrow to pay for college, how deeply will I go into debt? What are the chances I will graduate in four years? Are students and faculty recognized nationally, or even globally?”

The staff at CCAP gathered data from a variety of sources. They based 25% of the rankings on 7 million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25% of the rankings was based on how many of the school’s alumni, adjusted for enrollment, are listed among the notable people in Who’s Who in America.

The other half of the ranking is based equally on three factors: the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed; the percentage of students graduating in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

The nationally competitive awards portion of the rankings considered the number of students receiving Rhodes Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and Fulbright grants. Over the last six years, William Jewell College students have claimed two Rhodes Scholarship national finalists, a Marshall Scholarship, three Truman Scholarships and three Goldwater Scholarships, along with numerous student and faculty Fulbright grants.

The data show that students strongly prefer smaller schools to big ones. The median undergraduate enrollment in the top-50-ranked schools is just 2,285, and only one of the top 50 (the University of Virginia) has more than 10,000 undergraduate students.

The Princeton Review

William Jewell College has also been named one of the nation’s 368 best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company features William Jewell in The Best 368 Colleges, the just-published 2009 edition of its annual “best colleges” guide. Only about 15% of the country’s 2,500 four-year colleges are included in the annual guidebook, which features profiles on the schools and student survey-based rankings in various categories.  

The Princeton Review cites Jewell’s “extremely intense” Oxbridge Honors Program, which offers instruction in the English tutorial style. Also noted are “strong academics, a personal atmosphere, and a close-knit community,” along with access to faculty and small class size. “Undergrads benefit from William Jewell’s leading efforts in experiential learning,” the guidebook noted. “Also, the nationally recognized Harriman-Jewell Series arranges student tickets to a sweeping and really amazing array of performing arts events to Kansas City.”

Student survey-based rankings placed William Jewell at number 15 among the top 20 colleges nationwide for town-gown relations, which measures the quality of an institution’s relationship with the city or town in which it is located.

Other highlights of The Princeton Review’s 2009 rankings of William Jewell College:

• “Profs interesting”-90 on a scale of 60 to 99
• “Quality of Life”-89 on a scale of 60 to 99, based on “how happy students are with their lives outside the classroom”
• Academics-88 on a scale of 60 to 99, based on “how hard students work and how much they get back for their efforts”

“We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics,”said 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 attending them, and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we hear from year-long. Finally, we work to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

The ranking lists in The Best 368 Colleges are based on The Princeton Review’s survey of 120,000 students attending the colleges in the book. The Princeton Review posts the book’s ranking lists on its website at www.PrincetonReview.com

U.S. News & World Report

The 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” names William Jewell among the nation’s top 186 national liberal arts colleges. Jewell’s ranking is among colleges that focus almost exclusively on undergraduate education and that award at least 50 percent of their degrees in the arts and sciences.

The magazine’s annual rankings are based on such factors as peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and graduation rate performance.

William Jewell advanced in this year’s rankings in percentage of alumni giving, recording an increase from 19% to 21%. This figure reflects the average percentage of living alumni with bachelor’s degrees who contributed to William Jewell during 2005-06 and 2006-07. Alumni giving rate is considered to be one measure of student satisfaction.

For more information, visit the Jewell Headlines section of the college’s web site at www.jewell.edu

Opening Convocation

(back row, from left) Yates Medalists Myra Christopher, Gwendolyn Grant, Matt Meyer; (front row, from left) speaker Bill Bentley, president David Sallee and Yates Medalist Joan Israelite.

Civic leaders representing the nonprofit sector were honored for public service at Opening Convocation ceremonies marking the beginning of the new school year September 10 in John Gano Memorial Chapel on the William Jewell campus. This year’s recipients of the William F. Yates Trustee Medallion for Distinguished Service are Myra Christopher, President and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics; Gwendolyn Grant, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City; Joan Israelite, President of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City; and Matt Meyer, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City. Addressing students and guests at Opening Convocation ceremonies was Bill Bentley, President and CEO of Voices for America’s Children.

“As we continue to earn our place among the best liberal arts colleges in America, we find new ways to serve the greater good,” said President David Sallee in his Opening Convocation remarks. “Two years ago, in the belief that nonprofit endeavors deserved the best graduates we could produce, William Jewell established a major in nonprofit leadership. This major is built on the success of the Pryor Leadership Studies Program that was established 15 years ago through the generosity of alumni Fred and Shirley Pryor. The Pryor program is one of the premier leadership development programs for undergraduates in the country, and our new major is one of only thirteen undergraduate programs in nonprofit leadership nationwide.”

William Jewell meets Mabee Foundation challenge for Sorority Complex

William Jewell College has successfully met the terms of a $1 million challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation to assist in construction of the college’s new $14 million Sorority Complex and Greek Common.

“In this final phase of fundraising, we celebrate this gift from the Mabee Foundation and all of the donors who helped us complete the terms of the Mabee challenge grant over the last ten months,”  said Dr. Chad Jolly, vice president for advancement at William Jewell. “This gift from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation will allow us to move forward in the creation a vibrant living and learning experience and have our students in the new complex by the fall of 2009.” Jolly noted that additional gift and naming opportunities are still available at the complex.

The Sorority Complex and Greek Common will include four sorority houses with suite-style rooms and private bathrooms. The design features a multi-purpose room accommodating up to 250 people, a fitness center, private study rooms, modern laundry facilities and lounges. A Greek Common building will join the four houses and serve as a focal point for Greek life on the campus.

Ground was broken recently and site preparation is under way on the site of the former Regent’s Quad apartments just north of the Mabee Center for Physical Education. Regent’s Quad took the brunt of the tornado that struck the campus in May of 2003. The complex was too heavily damaged to be repaired and was razed.

“Our trustees, alumni, students, and friends have demonstrated a deep commitment to the quality of life for future generations of women at the college,” said Dr. Rick Winslow, vice president for enrollment and student affairs. “We are grateful to the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation for the tremendous opportunity they have provided us.” William Jewell College has previously partnered with the Mabee Foundation to assist with the Yates-Gill College Union renovation and in construction of the Mabee Center for Physical Education.

The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc., a Delaware non-profit corporation, was formed in 1948 by John E. Mabee and his wife, Lottie E. Mabee, with its office in Tulsa, Okla. The Foundation aids institutions of higher learning, hospitals and other charitable organizations.

Mortar Board chapter receives national awards

The Panaegis chapter of Mortar Board at William Jewell College was presented with the Golden Torch Award and Project Excellence Award for the 2007-08 academic year at the organization’s recent national conference held in Columbus, Ohio. The William Jewell College chapter was one of only 27 chapters to take home the Golden Torch Award, selected for “going above and beyond timeliness and excellence while exemplifying the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service,” according to Jon Cook, executive director of Mortar Board. Brittany Edwards, 2008-09 chapter president, was present to accept the award on behalf of the group. Edwards, originally from Branson, Mo., is an English major at William Jewell.

The chapter also received a Project Excellence Award for their “Chess Mates” project, in which elementary school students were mentored and coached in the game of chess in order to improve reasoning skills. The Panaegis chapter was one of only 23 to receive the Project Excellence Award. Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for outstanding achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. Since its founding in 1918, the organization has grown from the four founding chapters to 226 chartered chapters nationwide. The Panaegis chapter at William Jewell College was founded in 1978.

Jewell’s Panaegis chapter recently celebrated its 30th anniversary as a nationally affiliated chapter. Commemorations included the creation of a new private tapping ceremony, an update of the public tapping ceremony and a celebration of the chapter’s history. Members continue to be leaders in the William Jewell community. All five finalists for the 2008 Faculty Award—the highest award presented to a graduating senior—were members of the Panaegis chapter.

Hong Kong educators explore ‘The Power of Liberal Studies’ at Jewell

A group of primary and secondary school teachers from Hong Kong attended “The Power of Liberal Studies” workshop on the William Jewell campus July 19-31. “With its longtime commitment to liberal studies, William Jewell is a good fit for the changing focus of education in China,” said Dr. Cynthia Green, professor of education at William Jewell. She noted that the Chinese educational system is undergoing a paradigm shift from fact-based, rote memorization to a culture that embraces the liberal arts style of integrating disciplines as practiced at William Jewell and other American institutions of higher learning. “We demonstrated teaching models that are employed at the secondary level in American schools,” Dr. Green said. In addition to William Jewell College faculty, area secondary teachers also presented at the workshop. Along with the daily classroom sessions, workshop participants engaged in evening and weekend activities aimed at familiarizing them with American culture. William Jewell president Dr. David Sallee delivered a lecture at the Hong Kong Educational Bureau in January, when the program was officially announced. “We are pleased to share our expertise in the liberal arts with an international audience,” Dr. Sallee said.

Hong Kong connection, Part II

The liberal studies workshop was not the only Hong Kong connection to William Jewell College this summer. Dr. Wei Wu, visiting professor of biology at William Jewell, traveled to Hong Kong to teach a special summer science camp curriculum.
“In Hong Kong, I met fifteen top high school students, their teachers, the school principals, school social workers and the director of the Community Service Association,” Dr. Wu said. “The topic of my lectures was ‘From DNA to Genome,’ focusing on Human Genomics. I also talked about the U.S. liberal arts education system and introduced them to William Jewell College.” Dr. Wu reports that the science camp participants were very receptive to the program and expressed an interest in recruiting additional students for a similar program next summer.  William Jewell hopes to recruit additional international students from cities such as Hong Kong.

In addition, the Oxford International Review (OIR) and William Jewell College co-hosted the Midwestern portion of the U.S.-China Education Trust’s Summer Institute on the Jewell campus in late July. This U.S.-China faculty exchange allows Chinese scholars of American studies to visit Washington, D.C, and San Francisco, as well as the political “bellwether” state of Missouri. Dr. Gary Armstrong, professor of political science at William Jewell, hosted the group, which was studying America’s role in world leadership.

JAWS & JAMS

The Jewell Academy for Women in Science (JAWS) and the Jewell Academy for Men in Science (JAMS) hosted residential summer camps for rising 7th- and 8th-graders on the William Jewell campus this summer. Thanks to a generous grant from The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the week-long, interactive camps are open to students from across the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The JAWS camp for girls took place June 15-21; the JAMS camp for boys was June 22-28. The camps are based on an interdisciplinary, integrative curriculum focusing on the concept of energy. Student participants were exposed to biology, chemistry, ecology, physics, computer science and bioethics through hands-on laboratory learning. Evenings featured less-structured science enrichment activities. In addition to the science curriculum, the camps offered extensive leadership training, goal-setting, team-building and cooperation skills, along with personal development.

Service hours

Dr. Andy Pratt, dean of the chapel and vice president for religious ministries, announced that the total for student service hours for the 2007-2008 academic year was 44,141, compared with 25,090 hours for the 2006-2007 academic year. “This is an amazing record, and it illustrates that our students take seriously the call to service,” Dr. Pratt said. “We express our thanks to all students, faculty and staff who provided service this year.” Of these hours, 35,974 were service learning hours related to the curriculum. A detailed report is available from the Chaplain’s Office.