THE REPORTER:
Strong Enrollment, High Rankings And Steele Visit Mark
Fall Opening
Michael Steele, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland,
was on hand to welcome the Class of 2007, giving words of encouragement
to a crowd of new students, parents and faculty at Freshman
Convocation in late August.
"I'm a freshman too," Steele joked. "After
only seven months in office I'm still learning my way
around, who all the important people are, and where to go for
the next meeting. Believe me, it gets easier."
Steele compared his role in Maryland politics to the challenges
facing this entering class. "It's going to take
hard work and commitment to get through the next four years.
The message I have for you is similar to my message for the
people of this great state: You'll be asked to make tough
choices, and to take responsibility for your own actions. I
encourage you to be open to new ideas and new opportunities,
to be vigilant and focused in pursuit of your goals, and to
realize that the world is bigger than your backyard. Be nice
to your professors: they can take you to new and exciting places."
Steele expressed his admiration for the characteristics of scholarship
and leadership College's personalized approach to education
that stresses engaged learning.
As Washington College began a new academic year with the most
competitive class of incoming freshmen
in the College's history, several college guides affirmed
the College's rising status among the best national liberal
arts colleges. U.S. News & World Report's
guide to America's best colleges, considered by many in
higher education to be the standard, placed Washington College
among the Top 110 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the nation.
Of 217 liberal arts colleges nationwide, Washington College
climbed three points to 97th place in the
overall ranking, and scored highly in the ranking of colleges
with the most international students (35th place
nationally) and in student graduation rate performance (34th
place nationally).
The College's ability to recruit and shape a class of
ever-increasing accomplishment and promise is another strong
indicator of enhanced academic distinction. This fall, the College
enrolled 360 first-time students chosen from a record 2,114
applicants. More than half of all students coming to Washington
College now are members of the National Honor Society, a selective
organization comprising fewer than 10% of all American high
school students.
"We have reason to be proud of our climb in the rankings,"
said College President John S. Toll. "Many positive factors
have combined to put us in this position. We're attracting
highly competitive students with high GPA and SAT scores. Our
capital campaign has been extremely successful and has witnessed
a steadily increasing alumni giving rate. Lastly, we maintain
our commitment to a small student-teacher ratio, to cooperative
student-teacher research, and to teaching excellence of outstanding
faculty that inspires our students and transforms the directions
of their lives."
Published since 1983, the U.S. News ranking system
relies on quantitative measures that education experts have
proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality. Data for
15 indicators of academic excellence is gathered on an annual
basis; each factor is assigned a weight that reflects U.S.
News' judgment about how much a measure matters.
Indicators include a peer assessment survey of like institutions,
student retention numbers, faculty resources and class size,
selectivity in admissions, financial resources, graduation rate
performance and the percentage of alumni who donate to their
college.
Washington College also has been recognized by The Princeton
Review as one of The Best Mid-Atlantic Colleges,
which cited the College's aptitude for great teaching
and a small studentteacher ratio that fosters a close, supportive
atmosphere for learning. The College has also been recognized
by Jay Mathews, Washington Post education columnist,
as one of the "Hidden Gems" in higher education; and as one
of the nation's Top 120 colleges in the forthcoming guidebook,
Colleges of Distinction.
PHOTO: MELISSA GRIMES-GUY
Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele received an honorary doctor
of laws degree at Freshman Convocation.
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