Lawrence University News

The Lawrence University community is mourning the passing of Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald, who died Sunday, Sept. 4 at his home with his wife, children and two of his siblings by his side. Patrick was 50 years old.

Patrick was best known for his extremely successful career as a member of the philosophy department at Lawrence. He served as the Edward F. Mielke Professor of Ethics in Medicine, Science and Society and Associate Professor of Philosophy. His courses were immensely popular and he was highly respected for his intelligence, thoughtfulness and brilliant scholarship. His great concern for ethical and humane treatment of all persons was deeply admired by all who knew him. Among his many contributions to Lawrence he served for a time as department chairperson.

Born in Marysville, Ohio, to Larry and Barbara Fitzgerald, he was the youngest of seven children. A member of Marysville High School’s class of 1984, he graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics. At the University of Arizona he earned a master’s degree in philosophy and began working on his PhD in philosophy. He attended Oxford University in England for two years where he earned an M.Phil. in politics. He met his wife, Miriam, while working as a research analyst for President Clinton’s Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments, a bioethics committee charged with investigating the history of cold war human radiation experiments. Patrick returned to the University of Arizona and finished his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1994.

After completing his studies, Patrick taught philosophy and legal/medical ethics at Louisiana State University from 1994-2001.  He moved to Appleton in 2001 to begin teaching at Lawrence. He achieved tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor in 2005.

In 2002, Patrick and Miriam welcomed son Aidan and in 2011, son Finn into their family. They made many friends in Appleton and are very grateful to all who have supported them with seemingly unlimited help through Patrick’s lengthy battle with kidney cancer.

Patrick has been described as a deep ocean, reflecting what is real and true and kind in us all. His quiet, penetrating intelligence might have been intimidating, except that he was also full of wit and loved to laugh. He taught ethics by demonstration, modeling peace and forgiveness. He did not play by different rules in times of crisis — not even when the stakes were highest — and his writings were clear, compassionate road maps to creating positive change in the world from the inside out

He turned to science fiction and fantasy for play, where ethical dilemmas resolve in infinite outcomes and he was an unapologetic geek in facts and fantasy sports. He loved building things with his own two hands. Mostly, he loved — passionately, abidingly and completely — Miriam, Aidan and Finn, his family and friends, and beyond them, the world.

A memorial service celebrating Patrick’s life will be held on the Lawrence University campus at date to be determined.

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.

Exceptional experiences in the classroom along with great financial aid, environmentally aware students and terrific food earned Lawrence University inclusion in the just-released 2017 edition of The Princeton Review’s “The Best 381 Colleges” book.

Only 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges which it considers the nation’s top schools are included in The Princeton Review’s 25th edition. The book, which was released Aug. 30, also includes “Top 20” lists in 62 categories based on surveys of students attending the colleges.

Lawrence was ranked 20^th nationally in the best classroom experience category, based on student responses to survey questions regarding how they rate their professors, their classroom and lab facilities, the amount of in-class time devoted to discussion and the percent of classes they attend.

Using a scale of 60-99, Lawrence earned rating scores of 92 in quality of campus life, which measures students’ satisfaction with their lives outside the classroom, 92 in academics, including a 94 rating in professor’s accessibility, and an 89 in financial aid.

In its 2017 profile of Lawrence, The Princeton Review described the university as a “beautifully warm and positive community” that “encourages creativity and exploration.” It also cited the faculty for “an extraordinary amount of support and academic enthusiasm.”

Students who were surveyed called Lawrence a place “where you’ll find all sorts of people — homebodies, partygoers, musicians, athletes, scientists, gamers. You name it, we have it.”

Robert Franek, senior vice president of publishing at The Princeton Review and the book’s author, said outstanding academics are the primary criteria for inclusion in the book.

“We make our selections primarily based on data we collect through our annual surveys of administrators at several hundred four-year colleges,”said Franek. “Additionally, we give considerable weight to observations from our school visits, opinions of our staff and our 24-member National College Counselor Advisory Board and an unparalleled amount of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. We also keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

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 University’s Center for Academic Success, a reorganized effort to help students realize their full potential will be led by an alumna with more than 20 years of experience working with undergraduates, especially those from non-traditional student populations.

Lawrence Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows has named Monita Mohammadian Gray as the college’s dean of student academic success. She begins her new duties Sept. 1.

It will be a homecoming on two fronts for Gray, who graduated from Lawrence in 1992 and later spent nine years (1996-2005) working in the Lawrence admissions office.

As dean, Gray will serve as a liaison between the Center for Academic Success and students, faculty, staff and other various offices that focus on student success during college as well as after graduation, including career and counseling services, residence life, multicultural affairs and academic advising.

The Center for Academic Success was created earlier this year by merging the Office of Student Academic Support with the Center for Teaching and Learning. The Center uses a “success” approach that regards each student as having the ability to take complete advantage of the Lawrence educational experience. It is based on the idea that many success characteristics are related and become integrated as each person develops as an individual with intellectual, creative and emotional abilities.

“I am extremely excited that Monita Mohammadian Gray is coming to Lawrence as our first dean of academic success,” said Burrows. “Her enthusiasm, background and commitment to student success will enrich our efforts to help all students get the full benefit of their Lawrence experience. Her focus on success as the driving force behind student support services will serve us all well.”

“Monita knows us inside and out, understands what it means to succeed as a Lawrentian…Throughout the years, she has led the charge on multiple initiatives targeting student retention and she has worked tirelessly to enhance the academic performance and college experience of key populations.”
— Rosa Tapia, search committee member

Gray said it was Lawrence’s philosophy toward student success that attracted her to the position.

“Lawrence is taking a more holistic approach to thinking about how students are performing in the classroom, how students are experiencing the university, how they are able to take advantage of opportunities,” said Gray, a native of Oshkosh. “The foundation of the position and the institutional support behind this work is what I found attractive.”

“I think there is tremendous opportunity to collaborate with faculty, student affairs, athletics, diversity and inclusion, admissions, and all of the other units on campus to learn how we can support students and remove barriers to their success,” she added. “I see this position as a shift from a model where we tried to solve the problem of only those students who need the most help to one of helping all students, even high-achieving students, reach their maximum potential.”

Since 2005, Gray has held a variety of student-focused positions at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. For the past two years, she has served as Hamline’s assistant dean of students, providing strategic leadership of programs and processes related to the experience and success of transfer students, students with disabilities, veterans and first-generation students. She also spent six years directing Hamline’s Center for Student Success & Transition, working with students in difficult academic, social, emotional or personal situations to ensure their success.

Alan Sickbert, dean of students at Hamline, called Gray “a kind, bright, passionate and innovative leader who puts students first in her work.”

“She has been an innovator for better serving students who are often overlooked within the campus community, including first generation students, transfer students, veterans and commuter students,” said Sickbert. “She leads by example and she creates community and teams as part of her style of supervision and student development efforts. She will be greatly missed at Hamline, but we are happy that she is returning home to her alma mater to continue her career.”

Scott Corry, associate professor of mathematics who served on the search committee, cited Gray’s “wealth of experience in many areas crucial to academic success.”

“She is perfectly suited to help us transition toward a more holistic approach to student success,” said Corry. “Monita’s previous experience as both a student and staff member at Lawrence give her special insight into Lawrence’s culture, although she fully recognizes that Lawrence has changed over the years.”

In her new role, Gray will focus on all things that impact students and help them maximize their academic success.

“Students face many challenges that impact their ability to focus on fully engaging their college experiences,” said Gray. “They may have mental or physical health concerns, financial stress, family issues, or feelings of being overwhelmed by the academic expectations of their courses. I want to build on the strong programs, services and support that already exist to help students reach their full potential.”

Because of her past affiliations with Lawrence, Rosa Tapia, associate professor of Spanish and a member of the search committee, said Gray “will hit the ground running.”

“Monita knows us inside and out, understands what it means to succeed as a Lawrentian and already has strong connections and allies in our community,” said Tapia. “Throughout the years, she has led the charge on multiple initiatives targeting student retention and she has worked tirelessly to enhance the academic performance and college experience of key populations. I am thrilled to have Monita as a colleague and can not wait to start working together to strengthen Lawrence and our commitment to an engaged, transformational college experience for all students.”

Since 2011, Gray has served on Lawrence’s alumni board of directors, including the past two years as a member of the board’s executive committee.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lawrence, Gray earned both a master’s degree in educational policy and administration with an emphasis in higher education and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership and policy development from the University of Minnesota.

Gray and her husband, Jim, are the parents of two boys, Robert, 6, and Wyatt, 4.

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 University has been named a national recipient of the 2016 Healthy Campus Award, the only national recognition of its kind.

Lawrence was one of only six institutions in the country honored by Washington, D.C.-based Active Minds, the nation’s premier nonprofit organization for supporting the mental health of students.

Announced Tuesday (8/23), the award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate excellence in prioritizing and promoting the health and well-being of their students.

“I am very enthusiastic about this award as Lawrence has been working hard to investigate and understand wellness behaviors on campus for the last several years,” said President Mark Burstein. “Creating a safe campus culture, where students look out for each other and are empowered to make healthy choices, ensures that our students can be fully present in their educational pursuits.”

Now in its second year, the Healthy Campus Award involves an extensive application process as well as multiple endorsements and interviews. Each applicant is assessed across eight criteria, with winners chosen by a panel of prominent researchers and health and higher education experts.

“Lawrence University stands out because it invests in students’ physical and mental health on a comprehensive scale and for the long term,” said Alison Malmon, executive director and founder of Active Minds. “Lawrence is a model of what’s possible when a college prioritizes a campus culture of health, safety and well-being.”

Erin Buenzli, director of wellness and recreation at Lawrence, called the national award “an exciting honor.”

“It is very gratifying to be recognized nationally for our efforts to improve the overall well-being of our campus community,” said Buenzli. “This recognition affirms the dedication of many people at Lawrence who have worked diligently together in making Lawrence a community that puts a high value on the importance of a holistic approach to wellness.”

In selecting Lawrence for the national honor, the award’s review panel cited several steps Lawrence instituted that they considered “best practices”:

• Campus-Wide Collaboration: Eight years ago, Lawrence embarked on a more active role in the health and well-being of the campus, resulting in changes to its mission statement and strategic plan. A president’s committee was formed to address everything from alcohol awareness and mental health resilience to sexual assault prevention. Enterprising efforts helped fund additional staff to support healthy campus goals.

• Integrated and Centralized Services: Lawrence integrated its counseling, health and recreation services into a new centrally located Wellness Center, after which student use of health and wellness services increased by 300 percent. Alumni support enabled Lawrence to create an innovative Mind Spa Center that, among other programs, offers biofeedback sessions that teach students how to understand and control the body and mind’s response to stress.

• Healthy Balance Statement: As part of an effort to change an achievement-oriented and competitive culture around workload and stress levels, Lawrence now requires a healthy balance statement on all syllabi to reinforce the school’s expectation that students, staff and faculty consider wellness when making choices each day.

• Bystander Training: Students worked with the administration to require that anyone hosting a party on campus – whether or not alcohol is involved – complete a comprehensive bystander training program. Evaluations show that the training makes students 92 percent more likely to notice a safety problem and 85 percent more likely to intervene.

“Lawrence is a model of what’s possible when a college prioritizes a campus culture of health, safety and well-being.”
— Alison Malmon, executive director/founder, Active Minds

According to Active Minds, students enrolled at schools that focus on campus health often find that the programs and services offered there are life changing.

“As a college athlete, mental and physical wellness is a huge part of my life,” said Max Edwards, a senior from Appleton, majoring in economics, who is a two-time all-conference runner on the cross country tream and a conference champion distance runner on the track team.

“Lawrence has helped me be my healthiest, happiest and most balanced self in the classroom and on the track,” Edwards added. “The wellness center’s biofeedback sessions helped me manage my pre-race nerves and other areas of my life.  I reached an unprecedented level of calmness and focus before my track races and was attentive and cool during high pressure academic exams.”

Joining Lawrence as a 2016 Healthy Campus Award recipient were California State University, Long Beach; Jefferson College; Sacramento State University; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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.

During her 25-year career at Lawrence University, Nancy Truesdell has worn several different hats. At the end of the 2016-17 academic year, she will transition once again, moving from her current role as vice president for student affairs into new responsibilities as special assistant to university President Mark Burstein.

The university will begin a national search for her replacement this fall. Once a new vice president for student affairs is hired, she will move to her new role, where she will lead efforts to improve administrative efficiency, update university policies and procedures, and help deepen the sense of community on the Lawrence campus.

“Working in student affairs provides a wonderful blend of daily student contact, administrative decision-making and interaction with dedicated staff and faculty who share my love of Lawrence,” said Truesdell. “It is an honor to work with bright, creative and hard-working Lawrentians. I have appreciated the opportunity to get to know generations of students, hire and train exceptional staff members, create programs and make changes that have enhanced the student experience. I’m excited to take on the challenge of a new role with new responsibilities. I plan to continue to do my best to serve this institution that means so much to me.”

Truesdell brought nearly 20 years of student affairs experience with her when she joined the university in 1991 as director of the Career Center. Since then, she has been involved with virtually every aspect of student campus life. She was named dean of students in 1997. Ten years later, she was promoted to the position of Vice President of student affairs and dean of students. In 2015, Curt Lauderdale was named dean of students while Truesdell retained her title and duties as vice president of student affairs.

“Nancy’s leadership and skill have strengthened Lawrence in innumerable ways,” said Burstein.  “Her focus on what is best for our students, on enhancing campus community, and on farsighted efforts to improve the education we offer have been a hallmark of her tenure.  I look forward to having her expertise and energy invested in new challenges that face the university.”

During her tenure, Truesdell was the driving force behind the creation of the university’s Diversity Center, Hiett Hall, which introduced suite-style living to the campus, and the Warch Campus Center. She organized the expansion of the Volunteer and Community Service Center, created the Health and Wellness department, directed the development of new orientations for students and parents, helped launch CORE, a student-mentoring program for freshmen and transfers, and led the establishment of the office of spiritual and religious life.

In 1998, she was recognized with the university’s Babcock Award, which honors a person whose involvement and interaction with students has a positive impact on the campus community.

Prior to Lawrence, Truesdell held administrative positions at Cornell University, Heidelberg College, Sweet Briar College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, among others.

Active in the greater Fox Cities community, Truesdell is a member and former chair of the board of directors of Harbor House domestic abuse programs, and a former member of the board of Appleton’s A Better Chance program.

She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Ripon College with a degree in English and earned a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

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 Lawrence Symphony Orchestra will perform its next season under the baton of a new conductor.

Mark Dupere, who has co-conducted the concert orchestra at Michigan State University since 2013, joins the Lawrence University faculty as assistant professor of music and director of orchestral studies.

Dupere is one of eight new faculty members appointed to tenure track positions at the rank of assistant professor beginning with the start of the 2016-17 academic year. Fall term classes begin Monday, Sept. 12.

Joining Dupere will be Timothy Albright, conservatory of music (trombone); Israel Del Toro, biology; Thelma Jimenez-Anglada, Spanish; Constance Kassor, religious studies; Nancy Lin, art history; Graham Sazama, chemistry; and Becquer Seguin, Spanish.

“I am very pleased that we are continuing to add to the excellence of our faculty through the appointment of these talented teacher-scholars and teacher-performers,” said Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows. “Each will add significant strength to our educational programs.”

• Timothy Albright, conservatory of music
A trombonist who has performed with artists as diverse as Barbra Streisand, Jay-Z and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Albright arrives from State University of New York – Purchase College, where he directed the trombone choir and coached small jazz ensembles. He also has taught at The Juilliard School. During an extensive performance career, he has played with the Metropolitan Opera Company orchestra, New York City’s Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Alan Ferber Big Band, the New York Chamber Brass and the Atlantic Brass Quintet, among others.

Albright has served as trombonist in more than a half dozen major theatre productions, including the Broadway shows “Evita,” “Spamalot” and “Amazing Grace.” His performances also include numerous film and television credits, among them the movies “Noah” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and Disney Channel’s “Little Einsteins.”

A native of St. Helena, Calif., Albright earned a bachelor of music degree in applied music-trombone performance and jazz and commercial media from Eastman School of Music.

• Mark Dupere, conservatory of music
Dupere brings international experience to his appointment as assistant professor of music and director of orchestral studies. A cellist, Dupere has performed professionally with more than a dozen orchestras, chamber ensembles and other groups in the United States as well as Belgium, England, France and the Netherlands.

Beside Michigan State University, Dupere has served as a masterclass conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival and guest conducted the Musica Redemptor Baroque Orchestra in Austin, Texas, the Cypress Symphony in Houston and a production of “Les Miserables” in Michigan, among others.

Dupere, who grew up in Phoenix, earned a bachelor’s degree in cello performance from the University of Texas, a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Baroque cello from the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands and a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from Michigan State.

• Israel Del Toro, biology
A native of El Paso, Texas, Del Toro uses distribution and diversity of ant populations as models for the study of the effects of climate change on ecosystem processes, including soil movement and nutrient cycling. His research sheds light on how those changes can affect other plant and animal life in the area.

He arrives at Lawrence from the University of Copenhagen’s Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, one of the world’s leading research institutes on climate change, where he has been conducting research since 2014 as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow. In addition to the NSF, he has conducted research supported by a Fulbright Fellowship and grants from the Ecological Society of America, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History, among others.

Del Toro earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas-El Paso and a master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

• Thelma Jimenez-Anglada, Spanish
Combining scholarly interests in violence, human rights and migration, Jimenez-Anglada’s current research focuses on trafficking, specifically of narcotics and humans in Latin America and U.S. Latino communities.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who also has lived extensively in New York and Chicago, Jimenez-Anglada was the recipient of the 2015 Lectureship Award from the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. She has contributed to the Caribbean Foundation for the Humanities’ Digital Encyclopedia project, on slavery and the culture of the sugar plantation.

Jimenez-Anglada, who speaks five languages, earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctoral degree in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies from the University of Chicago, where she was a preceptor for its Center for International Studies.

• Constance Kassor, religious studies
Kassor, who specializes in the study of South Asian religions, with special expertise on Tibetan Buddhism, comes to Lawrence after spending the past two years teaching at Smith, Hampshire and Amherst colleges in Massachusetts.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Kassor has spent considerable time teaching and conducting research on 15th-century Tibetan Buddhism. She has studied and taught in India and Nepal, which led to several meetings with the Dalai Lama. She spent part of 2013 teaching a course on Buddhist key points at Kathmandu University’s Rangjung Yeshe Institute. She also directed Smith College’s Tibetan Studies in India program for three years.

Her scholarship has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the Fulbright Institute of International Education.

Kassor earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Smith College with a certificate in Buddhist studies and a doctorate in religion from Emory University.

• Nancy Lin, art history
A scholar of East Asian art, Lin’s research focuses on modern Japanese and Korean art (late-19th century to mid-20th century), with specialized expertise in painting. Lin, who grew up in Chicago, spent the past year as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Korea Institute. Previously she spent a year (2011-12) as a visiting scholar at Korea’s Seoul National University’s Kyujanggak Institute and the previous year as a researcher at Japan’s Tokyo University of the Arts.

A former deputy editor-in-chief of the Chicago Art Journal, Lin earned a bachelor’s degree in history of art & East Asian Studies at Bryn Mawr College, a master’s degree in East Asian languages and cultures from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago.

• Graham Sazama, chemistry
Sazama joins the Lawrence faculty after three years as a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An inorganic chemist specializing in material science and sensors, he is co-holder of a U.S. patent on the detection of amines.

A Wisconsin native who grew up in Chippewa Falls, Sazama has been the recipient of a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship and has previously taught as a Fellow at Harvard University. His research has led to seven co-authored published scientific papers and he has made nearly a dozen presentations at national and regional conferences.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and earned his Ph.D.  in chemistry at Harvard.

• Bécquer Seguín, Spanish
A public intellectual who specializes in 19th-century transatlantic art and literature, Seguín comes to Lawrence from Cornell University’s Department of Romance Studies. He spent last fall as a visiting scholar at the Complutense University of Madrid and was previously a John E. Sawyer and Andrew W. Mellon Seminar Graduate Fellow at Cornell.

A prolific writer, Seguín has published more than two dozen academic articles, reviews and translations. He also writes regularly for The Nation, the oldest continually published weekly in the United States, and other magazines. Additionally, he has presented at more than 30 professional conferences throughout the United States and abroad.

Seguín, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and literatures (Spanish) from Whitman College and a master’s and doctoral degree in Romance studies from Cornell University.

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 University once again has earned inclusion in the latest edition of former New York Times education editor Edward Fiske’s annual guide of the top colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.

In his 2017 “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” the author offers a personal profile of Lawrence based on a broad range of subjects, including student body, academics, social life, financial aid, campus setting, housing, food and extracurricular activities.

Since its first edition in 1985, the annual “Fiske Guide to Colleges” has offered a selective, subjective and systematic look at approximately 300 of the “best and most interesting” schools as a resource for college-bound students, their parents and high school guidance counselors.

Fiske, who spent 17 years as education editor of the New York Times, praised Lawrence for its diversified approach to learning “that attracts interested and interesting students from around the world” in his 2017 guide.

He describes Lawrence as “an unpretentious school that appeals to both the left and right side of students’ brains” while citing the college’s “uncommon” physics program and “renowned” conservatory of music. Fiske’s profile highlights Lawrence’s commitment to student volunteerism, its “intense” academic climate and a social scene that is “as varied and eclectic as the students.”

According to Fiske, Lawrence is “easily” one of the country’s best colleges, in part for “its outstanding liberal arts curriculum, knowledgeable and caring faculty, an administration that treats students like adults and a charming country setting.”

Fiske launched his guide as a tool to broaden students’ horizons about American higher education and help them select a college that best coincides with their particular needs, goals, interests, talents and personalities.

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.