Lawrence University News

Lawrence World Music Series welcomes Kane Mathis

A photo of Kane Mathis with a Turkish oud and a 21-string kora.
Kane Mathis will perform with a Turkish oud and a 21-string kora in his Feb. 8 concert.

Brooklyn-based composer and musician Kane Mathis shares an evening of music with traditional instruments from West Africa and Turkey Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. in a Lawrence University World Music Series concert in Harper Hall of the Music-Drama Center.

General public tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors/students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749. The concert is free to members of the Lawrence community with LU I.D.

Performing on the 21-string kora, which he studied for more than 10 years in Gambia, West Africa, and the Turkish oud, Mathis brings an exotic blend to his audiences with traditional music he enjoys from other cultures. The kora, also known as the Mandinka harp, is made from a large gourd, cut in half and covered in cow skin. The oud is a pear-shaped, lute-like instrument with a short neck.

Mathis writes new music for both instruments as well as experimental works for electronic fixed media.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

The Princeton Review: Lawrence one of the country’s top “colleges that pay you back”

Lawrence University is one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking an exceptional education with great career preparation at an affordable price according to The Princeton Review.

Lawrence was included in the education services company’s 2017 edition of its just released book “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck.” Of the schools profiled in the book, 73 are public and 127 are private. There were also nine tuition-free schools included. A photo of Lawrence University physics professor Matthew Stoneking and students observing different waves on the monitor screen.

The Princeton Review selected the 200 schools based on return on investment ratings it tallied for 650 schools last year. The ratings weighted 40 data points covering topics from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt, alumni salaries and job satisfaction.

The data was culled from the company’s surveys of administrators and students in 2015-16 and from PayScale.com‘s surveys of school alumni conducted through April 2016.

“We are very happy that The Princeton Review continues to count Lawrence alumni among those most significantly impacted by their alma mater,” said Ken Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid.

“We know from research that students who engage in high-impact educational programs — internships, intensive research experiences, one-on-one course work, and a senior capstone like our Senior Experience — are well-positioned to thrive in their lives after college, not just six months out, but for the rest of their lives. The Princeton Review’s approach to this particular rating captures the outcomes of that approach very well.”

In the “Career Information” section of the profile, Lawrence earned an exceptional ROI rating score of 88, with median starting salaries for graduates of $36,400 and median mid-career salaries of $89,500.

A photo of the cover of the book "Colleges that pay you back - 2017 Edition" by The Princeton Review.In The Princeton Review’s sublist of other rankings, Lawrence was ninth nationally among the top 25 best schools for “making an impact” based on student ratings and responses to survey questions covering community service opportunities, student government, sustainability efforts and on-campus student engagement. Lawrence also was ranked 20th nationally for “best classroom experience.”

In its profile, The Princeton Review cited Lawrence as “one of the most rigorous U.S. colleges” and for extolling “the values of a liberal education as means by which to build character, think critically, and create opportunities for choice.”

Schools included in the book “stand out not only for their outstanding academics, but also for their affordability via comparatively low sticker prices and or generous financial aid to students with need” according to Robert Franek, lead author and The Princeton Review’s Senior VP/Publisher.

“Students at these colleges also have access to extraordinary career services programs from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of alumni connections and post-grad support,” said Franek.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

Lawrence crowns 2017 trivia champions

After finishing third a year ago, Holy Broman Literary Society ended Hobgoblins of Little Minds’ two-year run as champions, winning the 2017 off-campus title for the first time in Lawrence University’s 52nd Great Midwest Trivia Contest.

A photo of Lawrence University Trivia Masters on the phone.The Madison-based team, featuring a dozen Lawrence alumni, racked up 1,376 points out of a possible 1,800 during the 50-hour contest that ended at midnight Sunday, Jan. 29, to edge The Cailloutastrophe, which finished second with 1,358 points. Two-time defending champions Hobloblins of Little Minds settled for third with 1,313 points. A total of 80 off-campus teams competed.

Team Drinking in the Lounge easily won on-campus title with 1,284 points among 18 on-campus teams. Homemaker, wife and mother to 3 beautiful children (1,153 points) and Cult of the Pink Shoes (1,110) finished second and third.

For their winning efforts, Holy Broman Literary Society and Team Drinking in the Lounge were awarded first-place prizes of an unopened can of Red Dog beer, and a leg ripped from a stuffed animal monkey, respectively.

Unlike last year, no team was able to answer this year’s “Super Garruda,” the contest’s final, virtually impossible question: A number of Lawrentians have taken trips to China to study sustainability. In the third city visited on their 2015 trip, there is a bar on the 10th floor of a building near the intersection of Minquan Road and Fushui North Road. In the fifth issue of a magazine they distributed last July, which features a pink robot on the cover, what artist is shown on page eight?

While no one was able to come up with correct answer — Dickid — one on-campus team, with the help of a Chinese-speaking friend, was able to track down the bar’s manager and learn the name of the magazine, but ran out of time before learning the artist’s name.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Lawrence Artist Series welcomes Elias String Quartet

The internationally acclaimed London-based Elias String Quartet brings its reputation for performing with “exuberance and fire” to the Lawrence Memorial Chapel Friday, Feb. 3 in the second concert of Lawrence University’s 2016-17 Artist Series.

Tickets, at $25-30 for adults, $20-25 for seniors, $18-20 for students, are available online through the Lawrence Box Office or by calling 920-832-6749.A photo of London-based Elias String Quartet sitting on the couch.

Hailed as one of the leading ensembles of their generation, Elias will feature Beethoven’s “String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95,” Kurtág’s “Moments musicaux for string quartet, Op. 44” and Mendelssohn’s “String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13” in its Lawrence performance.

A product of Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music in England, the quartet has evolved from student group to professional ensemble, earning raves for its artistic excellence after bursting on the scene in 1998. Since then, they have performed around the world, collaborating with many of the best musicians in the world’s most revered venues.

In 2015, the quartet — violinists Sara Bitlloch and Donald Grant, violist Martin Saving and cellist Marie Bitlloch, Sara’s sister — finished its ground-breaking Beethoven Project, which saw it record and perform the composer’s complete set of works for string quartet.

In its review of a recent performance, The Sunday Times of London raved “The players are individually brilliant, but their interplay is profound” while the Philadelphia Inquiring called their playing “intoxicating.”

Passionate about playing new music, Elias has premiered works by contemporary composers Sally Beamish and Colin Matthews of the UK, Matthew Hindson from Australia and American Timo Andres. In addition to the Beethoven project, their discography includes Mendelssohn and Britten as well as an album of French harp music and Schumann and Dvorak piano quintets with Jonathan Biss.

Remaining performers on this year’s Artist Series line-up include Mnozil Brass, March 29,  and Roomful of Teeth, April 7.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Author Andrew Solomon explores differences that unite us in convocation

Award-winning author, lecturer and activist Andrew Solomon presents “Far from the Tree: How Difference Unites Us” Thursday, Feb. 2 at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel as part of Lawrence University’s 2016-17 convocation series.

A photo of Award-winning author, lecturer and activist Andrew Solomon.Solomon will conduct a question-and-answer session immediately following his address. The event, free and open to the public, also will be available via a live webcast.

The presentation is based on Solomon’s best-selling book “Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity,” which won the 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and the 2013 Anisfield-Wolf Prize for Nonfiction.

Based on interviews with more than 300 families and a decade of research, Solomon argues that individual human differences within families is a universal experience. He chronicles parents coping with children with a variety of challenges, from deafness, dwarfism and Down’s syndrome to schizophrenia, severe disabilities and autism, as well as children who are prodigies or transgender and the profound meaning they find in doing so.A photo of the cover of the book "Far from the Tree" by Andrew Solomon.

His previous book, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, won the 2001 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize.

Splitting time between New York City and London, Solomon writes about politics, culture and psychology, covering topics as diverse as Libyan politics and deaf culture. He contributes to numerous publications, including Travel and Leisure, the New York Times and The New Yorker.

In addition to his writing, he holds appointments as professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and lecturer in psychiatry at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York. In 2008, he was recognized with the Humanitarian Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry for his contributions to the field of mental health.

Solomon earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University, a master’s degree in English from Jesus College, Cambridge and a Ph.D. in psychology from Jesus College.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Former U.S. Associate Attorney General rejoining Lawrence Board of Trustees

A familiar face is returning to the Lawrence University Board of Trustees.

A Head shot of Former U.S. Associate Attorney General Bill Baer.
Bill Baer ’72

Bill Baer, who previously served on the board from 2001-2012, has been re-elected to a three-year term, effective Feb. 1.

On Jan. 20, Baer stepped down from his position as Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position in the U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with the completion of the Obama administration. Baer joined the DOJ’s Antitrust Division as Assistant Attorney General in December 2012, leaving the Lawrence’s Board of Trustees, where he had been vice chair for two years.

“Now that Bill has completed his assignments with the Justice Department, we are delighted to welcome him back to the Lawrence Board of Trustees where his legal experience, sound judgment and analytical skills will once again be a tremendous asset to our ongoing work and strategic planning,” said Susie Stillman Kane ’72. “Given his past leadership roles on the board, he also brings significant institutional knowledge and perspective to our work.”

A 1972 Lawrence graduate, Baer has established himself as one of the nation’s leading antitrust attorneys. He began his career at the Federal Trade Commission and beginning in 1980, spent 15 years as head of the antitrust division of the law firm of Arnold & Porter. In 2010, the National Law Journal named him as one of “the decade’s most influential lawyers” and the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers named Baer the “leading competition lawyer in the world” in 2006 and 2007.

In his previous tenure on the board, Baer served on the search committee for Lawrence’s 16th president, Mark Burstein. He has been active on behalf of Lawrence, serving as an admissions volunteer, a campaign working group member for the university’s $160 million “More Light” campaign (2005-2011) and as a panelist with the Lawrence Scholars in Law program.

Baer, along with other family members, established the Joseph L. and Mary R. Baer Family Scholarship in recognition of his parents’ lifelong commitment to education.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in government from Lawrence, Baer earned his J.D. degree from Stanford Law School.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Lawrence’s Great Midwest Trivia Contest offers 52nd test of cerebral fitness

 It seems a no brainer that Ridley Tankersley would eventually hold the exalted title of Trivia Headmaster of Lawrence University’s ultimate test of cerebral fitness.

A photo of Lawrence University Trivia Headmaster Ridley Tankersley.
Senior Ridley Tankersley will oversee the 52nd edition of Lawrence’s Great Midwest Trivia Contest.

Heck, he almost was named a trivia master before he was even a Lawrence student.

As 2017’s Trivia Headmaster, Tankersley, a senior studio art major from Phoenix, Ariz., will oversee 50 straight hours of outrageous competition all in the name of fun during the 52nd edition of Lawrence University’s Great Midwest Trivia Contest.

Older than the Super Bowl and liberally sprinkled with questions that make explaining the Higgs Boson look easy, the Lawrence trivia contest is the nation’s longest-running salute to all things obscure.

The contest returns in all its inconsequential glory Friday, Jan. 27 at its customary 10:00.37 p.m. start time and runs until midnight Sunday. The contest, just as it has for the past 11 years, will be webcast worldwide from the control room of wlfmradio.

Nearly 400 questions will be asked over the course of the contest, with hundreds, if not thousands of trivia addicts playing for on-campus and off-campus teams, calling in answers to the WLFM studios. Last year, 86 teams battled it out for the off-campus title, which was won by Hobgoblins of Little Minds, a team based in North Carolina. Among on-campus combatants, David and the Bucky’s Batallion Diabolically Antagonizing Tortured Brood-Makers, Basically Building Batteries, Bungee Jumping Blindfolded, Bizarrely Bludgeoning Bells and Definitely Ascending toward Brilliance By Dastardly Battling Together outlasted 18 challengers for its second straight title.

Tankersley, who went from playing as a freshman to serving as a trivia master the past two contests, tried to pull a fast one in 2012. As a visiting prospective student, Tankersley conspired with a current student to apply as a trivia master.

“We thought it would be funny if we both auditioned to be trivia masters,” said Tankersley, who was a member of the winning on-campus team his freshman year. “I pretended to be a Lawrence student. My visit roommate gave me a fake Lawrence ID number and his room number. I went through the whole process, including an interview. I heard I came close to being picked. I think people were quite surprised when they realized I was back in Arizona finishing high school.”

As he gets ready to settle in to the big chair for the weekend, Tankersley hopes to remind players of the contest’s credo: Trivia is meant to be entertainment and should be perceived solely in that light.

“I’ve seen the focus put on competitiveness, not the enjoyment of playing and I want to see it go back to that,” said Tankersley, who figures he’ll only manage to sneak in eight hours of sleep during the course of the 50-hour contest. “I want it to be on the front of everyone’s mind that people are playing because it’s fun and trivia masters are doing what they do because it’s fun.”

A photo of Lawrence University headmaster dressing up as a Joker, surrounded by trivia masters holding up large playing cards.
A “deck full” of trivia masters will assist headmaster Ridley Tankersley (center) during this year’s 50-hour Great Midwest Trivia contest.

While technology has perhaps eroded some of the contest’s original, simple charm, its core spirit — a weird, yet at the same time weirdly logical experience —  remains untarnished.

“You’re in a room with waxing and waning numbers of other teammates, but you’re all there doing the same thing,” said Tankersley, whose dad played as the one-man team “Square Root of All Evil” from Arizona last year. “People take it seriously and it’s inspiring that they do, finding the fun in this weird thing.

“It’s really all about the community of playing,” he added. “It’s about spending time with your friends on the weekend, and maybe coming out of it with a bad prize. It’s all about the experience.”

 Appleton native Kim Stahl knows all about trivia’s “community of playing.” She began playing the trivia contest when she was in elementary school and started a team in sixth grade. Today, she and her best friend Heidi Delorey are co-ring leaders of a team that numbers around four dozen multiple-generation players from as many as 10 states who annually converge on her home — in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Stahl, who has approximately 35 years of notches in her trivia belt, and her merry band of “Hobgoblins,” have benefited from the contest’s switch from an over-the-air broadcast to its current webcast, allowing her to maintain a beloved, decades-old tradition.

“We just love playing. We love the contest. It’s a lot of fun and it makes for a wonderful reunion,” said Stahl, a 1991 graduate of Appleton West High School. “And we love the fact that all of these Lawrence students have kept it going all these years. It’s such a unique college tradition.”

Despite her long history with the contest, Stahl first cued the DJ to play “We are the Champions” in 2015, the contest’s 50th anniversary. They successfully defended their title last year and now are gunning for a coveted “threepeat.”

“We are firmly intending to hit the hat trick this year,” said Stahl, whose own personal trivia tradition involves filling her front yard with pink flamingos the weekend of the contest.  “After never expecting to win for the first 30-some years, that would be a crowning jewel.”

Following trivia tradition, Lawrence President Mark Burstein, will start the fun by asking the contest’s first question, which, also by tradition, is always the final — and virtually unanswerable 100-point “Super Garruda” — from the previous year’s contest.

For one of the few times in the contest’s history, last year’s Super Garruda was correctly answered by the Trivia Pirates…Aaarrrggh. They somehow managed to come up Earwigs Rule to the question: In 1964, a band pretended to play Beatles songs at a battle of the bands called the Letterman Show. What is written in the top right corner of the page that features the band in a KWSS DJ’s copy of the lead singer’s 1965 high school yearbook?

Here are a few “softballs” to help everyone get warmed up for this year’s contest.

  1. In 1988, students at the University College in Dublin broke a record by debating, for 503 hours and 45 minutes, what statement?
  2. At this toy themed amusement park in San Diego, what guards the entrance to the ride immediately south of the easternmost green roller coaster?
  1. The leader of a one-man comedy synth punk band also has a website dedicated to images of a certain household object. What is BigJerk’s lamp thinking?

(1. “Every Dog Should Have Its Day” 2. A 16-foot tall LEGO pharaoh  3. “I hate the zoo.”)

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Year of the Rooster: Lawrence celebrates Lunar New Year 

Lawrence University will ring in the 2017 Lunar New Year — the Year of the Rooster — Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. with dance performances and a multicultural expo in the Warch Campus Center. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

A photo of a local Hmong dance group Nkauj Hmoob Ntsias Lias.
Nkauj Hmoob Ntsias Lias, a local Hmong dance group, will be among the performers at Lawrence’s annual Lunar New Year celebration.

Showcasing Eastern culture will be the local Hmong dance group Nkauj Hmoob Ntsias Lias, the Vietnamese hip-hop duo Beast Street, a traditional lion dance by Vovinam Chicago and the Japanese drumming/folk dance group Anaguma Eisa from UW-Madison.

Following the performances, several Lawrence student organizations will host a cultural expo from beginning at 8 p.m., offering a variety of traditional crafts/games, calligraphy, paper fan/lantern decorating and paper fortune cookies. A photo booth will be available and a selection of Asian treats — Vietnamese Bánh mì, Korean potato pancakes, Chinese donuts, spring rolls, crab Rangoons and pot stickers — will be served.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

New lecture series explores cultural competency

A five-part series examining issues related to cultural competency by Lawrence University begins Friday, Jan. 27. Each one-hour program, starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Warch Campus Center, is free and open to the public.

A Head shot of Lawrence University accessibility services coordinator and academic skills specialist Meghan Lally.
Meghan Lally

Meghan Lally, accessibility services coordinator and academic skills specialist at Lawrence, opens the series with the presentation “Reframing Disability: Designing Inclusive Classrooms and Communities.”

Recognizing disability as an aspect of diversity that is integral to society, Lally will discuss ideas and education technology for incorporating Universal Design principles and disability studies into educational curriculums.

Other presentations include:
• Feb. 24 — “Gender in the 21st Century,” Helen Boyd Kramer, lecturer of gender and Freshman Studies

• March 3 — “Intercultural Skills for Successful Global Citizenship,” Cecile Despres-Berry, lecturer in English as a second language and director of the Waseda Program; Leah McSorley, director of international student services; Laura Zuege, director of off-campus programs

• April 28 — “Imagine More,” Rev. Linda Morgan Clement, Julie Esch Hurvis Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life

• May 26 — “Lesson’s from the Trenches: Activism for Social Change in the New Millennium,” seniors Max Loebl and Guilberly Louissaint

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

A day “on”: Lawrentians honor MLK legacy through reflection, community service

While the annual holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a day off from work or school for many, more than 250 Lawrence University students, faculty, staff and local alumni will make it “a day on.”

A photo of Lawrence University student packing up a box to send to Feeding American in Eastern Wisconsin.As a prelude to the Jan. 16 annual Fox Cities community celebration of the life of the civil and human rights leader, which Lawrence will host in the Memorial Chapel beginning at 6:30 p.m., Lawrentians will spend part of the day engaged in community service.

Since 2008, Lawrence has honored King’s legacy by providing volunteers to area nonprofit organizations. This year Lawrence volunteers will spend part of the King holiday providing their time and talents to 11 local nonprofit organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley, Riverview Gardens, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Homeless Connections and the Bethesda Thrift Shop on a variety of activities, including a new reading initiative for K-6 students at Appleton’s Edison Elementary School.

Prior to the volunteer activities, Lawrence will conduct a Read & Reflect event the morning of Jan. 16 in the Warch Campus Center. The action-based discussion will focus on Marc Lamont Hill’s book “Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond.” It will include the sharing of personal experiences of feeling like a “nobody” and action individuals and the campus as a whole can take to better support society’s  most vulnerable members.

A photo of Lawrence University students volunteer on MLK's Day.

Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts will deliver the keynote address — “On the Fierce Urgency of Now” — at the Fox Cities’ 26th Martin Luther King community celebration.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.