August 2012

Month: August 2012

Ethnically Diverse Freshman Class Arrives Sept. 4 for 2012-13 Academic Year

Call it “back to the future.”

When Lawrence University welcomed its first class in November, 1849, 13 of the 35 students were Oneida Indians.

This year’s incoming class of new students will be nearly 12 times larger than that initial class, but Native Americans will once again be an integral part of the mix. Eight Native Americans, representing Indian nations in Arizona, Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin, will be among the 417 incoming freshmen of the Class of 2016.

This year’s class of 450 new students — the second-largest freshman class in Lawrence history (2010 was the largest with 452) along with 33 transfer students — arrives Tuesday, Sept. 4 to begin a week of orientation activities. Classes for Lawrence’s 164th academic year begin Monday, Sept. 10.

Emmet Yepa, one of the incoming Native American students from New Mexico, arrives on campus as a two-time Grammy Award nominee and a nationally-recognized youth leader.

Emmet Yepa ’16

Yepa began singing with the 14-member drumming ensemble Black Eagles shortly after the band won a Grammy in 2004 for “Flying Free” in the Best Native American Music Album category. Yepa helped the Black Eagles garner two more Grammy nominations in 2005 and 2007. He composed the song “Your Precious Smile,” a tribute to his younger sister, Angelina, for the 2007 Grammy-nominated album “Voice of the Drums.”

“I’ve been singing since I was very, very young,” said Yepa. “My dad introduced me to singing and I eventually joined the group. I sing every day. I’m always singing at home. I enjoy singing from the heart, lifting people’s spirits and making people happy.”

In 2010, Yepa and his father left the Black Eagles to form a new group, Northern Vibe, a nine-member drumming ensemble.

“We’ve had lots of people asking us if we’re going to do a CD. We’re in the process, but we haven’t completed it yet,” said Yepa, who has recording his own solo CD on his to-do list as well.

Yepa composes and performs both in English and the Towa language. Jemez Pueblo, Yepa’s hometown of 1,800 about 70 miles southwest of Santa Fe, is the only place in the world where Towa is spoken.

“It’s (Towa) pretty hard to pass on, because it’s not a written language, it’s only an oral language,” said Yepa, the oldest of four siblings.

Last December, Yepa added a “Champions of Change” award to his budding resume. Yepa was one of just 11 Native Americans nationally recognized in a White House ceremony with President Obama that honored individual efforts to give back to the community and demonstrate leadership. Yepa was cited for his efforts to establish the first-ever recycling program in Jemez Pueblo. The Walatowa (traditional name of Jemez) Green Stars Recycling Group headed by Yepa focuses on preserving and keeping ancestral lands beautiful through recycling.

Yepa is a member of one of the most ethnically and geographically diverse incoming classes Lawrence has ever had:

• 21 percent (88) of the 417 freshmen are students of color.

• 38 states and 18 countries are represented

• Five of the top 10 states from which this year’s freshmen hail are Western states — California, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington and Oregon.

• 41  freshmen are international students, with China (6), Vietnam (4) and Ghana (3) accounting for the most.

Academically, 45 percent of this year’s freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class while 70 percent were in the top quarter of their class. The average grade point average of the incoming freshmen was 3.62.

“In terms of academic quality, this year’s class looks very similar to last year’s class,” said Ken Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid.  “However, this year we enrolled a class that, in addition to being one of our largest, is more ethnically and geographically diverse than we have seen in a very long time.”

Approximately 80 percent of the freshmen are enrolling in Lawrence’s college of liberal arts and sciences while 20 percent are enrolling in the conservatory of music.

Ninety-four percent of incoming freshmen received need- or merit-based financial aid with need-based financial aid packages averaging $30,600.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Lawrence University — Once Again — Named a College That Changes Lives

For the third straight edition, Lawrence University once again is included in the latest version of the classic college guide “Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges.”

The third edition of the book was released Aug. 28 and is currently available on newsstands, at bookstores and online.

Originally written in 1996 by Loren Pope, the former education editor of the New York Times and re-released in 2006, the 2012 edition is essentially a completely new book, updated by Denver-based education writer Hilary Masell Oswald, who conducted all new school tours and in-depth interviews in selecting the 40 colleges for inclusion. Pope passed away in 2008.

“Making it into the book is an even bigger deal for us this time around because both the writer and the process of review was different than it was for the first edition,” said Ken Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid at Lawrence. “As a former college admission counselor herself, Ms. Oswald is in a unique position to assess and write about the colleges that were included in the book. She greatly impressed me with her intelligence and care for her subject matter.”

A non-profit organization of the same name was founded shortly after the book was first published to advance and support a student-centered college search process as an antidote to the high-stakes, high-stress environment often associated with the college search. The organization, which offers programs and college fairs to packed houses all over the country, focuses on helping individual students find a fit with the mission and identity of individual colleges.

“Both the book and the organization have great visibility and credibility among prospective students, their families and the college counseling community,” said Anselment. “One of the things the book dispels is the myth that selectivity in admissions means the same thing as quality in education. As its name implies, the Colleges That Change Lives excel at changing the trajectories of students’ lives.”

The book organized the 40 schools into five geographic regions — Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest and Northwest.

In her revised edition, Oswald provides valuable information for prospective students on topics ranging from the look and feel of the campus and the quality of dining hall food to the percentage of students who study abroad or go to grad school and what professors have to say about their schools.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Lawrence Mourns the Death of Professor Emeritus Mojmir Povolny

Mojmir Povolny, Emeritus Professor of Government and Henry M. Wriston Professor of Social Sciences died suddenly in Appleton. He was 90 years old.

Professor Povolny taught at Lawrence from 1958 to 1987. He began his academic career with a J.D. degree from Masaryk University School of Law in Czechoslovakia.

He came to the United States and earned a Ph.D. degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago. At Lawrence, Professor Povolny taught courses on human rights, international politics, European democracies, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia and Communist rule. He was an active figure on the Lawrence campus. In 1969, he became the chair of The Select Committee on Planning which was charged with investigating the elements of a revised liberal arts education at Lawrence and formulating a coherent institutional plan that would lead to the implementation of a liberal arts curriculum at Lawrence. In addition, during his tenure at Lawrence, Professor Povolny shepherded more than 50 LU mentees. He was honored with the Lawrence University Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1986.

Upon his retirement in 1987, Povolny was praised for his service as an “academic dean, department chair, wise counselor to presidents, confidant to colleagues, pedagogical innovator, scholar, and, above all, generous guide and teacher to students.” To honor his retirement, the Mojmir Povolny Prize in Government was established. It is given annually to an outstanding senior government student.

In recognition of Povolny’s commitment to the education of students, the Department of Government named its lecture series after him. Since 1987 the Mojmir Povolny Lecturship in International Studies has brought numerous distinguished internationally acclaimed scholars to campus to address crucial issues of the day.

“Professor Povolny was a wonderful colleague and a gentleman,” said Provost and Dean of the Faculty Dave Burrows. “He played a central role in helping Lawrence become aware of the vital importance of global affairs in the life of each person. He inspired the Povolny lecture series that is a critical part of the intellectual life of the University. Always friendly and supportive, he was a central figure in Lawrence’s development as a nationally prominent university.”

Professor Povolny also took an active role in international politics. After the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, during which he was executive secretary of the Benes Party, he left the country. He worked with the anti-communist movement in exile. From 1974 to 1993, he served as chair of the council. He has also served on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and with the American Friends Service Committee. On October 28, 1995 the independence day of the Czech Republic, Czech President Vaclav Havel presented him with the Masaryk Order, the Czech Republic’s highest civilian honor, “for his service to democracy and human rights”.

Professor Povolny is survived by his wife, Joy, and sons Daniel and David.

A formal obituary will be published in the Appleton-Post Crescent.

An on-campus memorial is being planned. Details will be forthcoming.

Lawrence University Political Scientist Sees “Generational” Matchup in U.S. Senate Race

Lawrence University political scientist Arnold Shober sees a “generational” political matchup this November in the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring four-term Democrat Sen. Herb Kohl.

Shober says Tommy Thompson, a former four-term Republican governor, and Democrat Tammy Baldwin, who has represented Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District since 1999, not only represent different political “cultures,” but also face different challenges in this election.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

 

Lawrence University Tops Wisconsin Colleges in Annual Forbes Rankings

For the fifth consecutive year, Lawrence University was ranked first among 13 Wisconsin colleges included on Forbes’ annual ranking of “America’s Top Colleges.”

The 2013 Forbes report, prepared by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity, lists Lawrence 85th among 650 of the nation’s leading undergraduate colleges, 75th among private colleges and 16th among Midwestern colleges.

The rankings are based on five categories: post graduate career success, student satisfaction and retention rate, student debt, four-year graduation rates and competitive awards, such as Rhodes, Fulbright and Watson scholarships.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

2013 Fiske Guide Cites Lawrence’s University’s “Eclectic Approach to Learning”

“A school that can appeal to both the left and right side of students’ brains.”

That’s how former New York Times education editor Edward Fiske describes Lawrence University in his just-published “Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013.”

The guide, a selective and systematic look at 319 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, is published annually as a resource for college-bound students and their families on which to base their educational choices.

In a profile of Lawrence, Fiske cites the college for its “eclectic approach to learning that attracts interested and interesting students from around the world.”  The guide also highlights Lawrence’s commitment to individualized learning, the expertise of the faculty and its broad, off-campus study opportunities.

Among the guides features:

• updated overviews of the best and most interesting colleges and universities with details on academics, campus setting, student body, financial aid, housing, food, social life and extracurricular activities

 • a listing of schools that no longer require the SAT or ACT of all applicants, of which Lawrence is one.

•  a “If You Apply To” feature, which contains vital information about each college’s admission policies, including deadlines and essay topics.

Fiske spent 17 years as education editor of the New York Times. He compiles his guide as a tool to broaden students’ horizons about American higher education and help them select the right college that 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 world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges by Forbes, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.