Westmont College (CA) installed a new 24-inch reflector telescope in its campus observatory, made possible by $635,000 in contributions from the W.M. Keck Foundation, the James L. Stamps Foundation, and other donors. The telescope will be used for astronomical research by faculty and students, and the observatory will be open for monthly public viewings.

Rare Suffragist Collection

Swarthmore College (PA) is the new home for a rare collection of suffragist papers. The papers were the property of Mariana Wright Chapman, president of the New York State Suffrage Association in the 1890s. Chapman’s collection includes dozens of letters by leading women’s rights advocates Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Carrie Chapman Catt, as well as news clippings, journals, and photographs documenting the women’s rights movement. The collection is a gift from Anne Chapman Booth, Chapman’s granddaughter and a member of Swarthmore’s Class of 1932. Previously, the collection had not been available to the public.

Honoring Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania

Mount Aloysius College (PA) bestowed its highest honor, a Formal Commendation, on the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, for its handling of a schoolroom shooting that occurred in the community in October 2006. The tragedy—in which five young girls were killed and five others were wounded—made national news and received much public attention. Mount Aloysius granted the Commendation to the Nickel Mines community for its “forgiving and nonviolent response” as a “shining example for our graduates to carry on in their lives.”

International Programs and Activities

Concordia College (MN) and Illinois Wesleyan University have been selected as the first institutions to participate in a series of dialogues with Muslim universities to be funded by the Hollings Center. Concordia’s dialogues will occur with Independent University (Bangladesh) and involve an exchange program with a Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate. Illinois Wesleyan’s dialogues will occur with Al Akhawayn University (Morocco), the Association of Arab Institutions of Private Higher Education (Jordan), and the American University of Kuwait, as well as a conference on liberal arts education in the Middle East. The dialogues are a follow-up initiative to a January 2007 conference held by the Hollings Center in Istanbul, during which 35 university presidents (several from CIC institutions as well as CIC President Richard Ekman), senior administrators, and higher education experts from the U.S. and Muslim countries met to discuss independent higher education in the U.S. and non-American settings. More information on the Hollings Center, its Istanbul conference, and these dialogues is available on the Center’s website at www.hollingscenter.org.

CIC institutions continue to increase their international program offerings. Augustana College (IL) has added a new program in India, allowing students to travel to and study in over 15 major locations across the country. Centre College (KY) has reported that almost 82 percent of its 2007 graduating class has participated in study-abroad, with 26 percent participating in two or more international programs. Centre has seen growing interest in the Near and Far East with record numbers of students in Japan, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia. University of Richmond (VA) has achieved a 70 percent study-abroad rate. The 3,000-student university has exchange agreements with more than 50 schools around the world.

Wilson College (PA) is hosting the first scholarship recipient of AMIDEAST’s new Diana Kamal Scholarship Search Fund (DKSSF). The award was presented to Mariam Khalifeh of Lebanon, who is attending Wilson on a full four-year scholarship, including room and board. AMIDEAST is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening understanding and cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa. AMIDEAST created DKSSF to assist underserved populations in those areas in pursuing undergraduate study in the United States.

Linfield College (OR) sent students to Cameroon in Africa to conduct health work for Women, Environment, and Health (WEH), a humanitarian organization specializing in the needs of women, orphans, and vulnerable children. The students conducted assessments on orphaned and vulnerable children in several Cameroon villages by taking temperatures, blood pressures, and pulse and heart rates, and documenting the villagers’ vaccinations, diet, and use of mosquito nets. The assessments were later used to establish a database for WEH to track the health of the local children.

More than 170 international female leaders for peace met at Barry University (FL) for the International Women’s Peace Colloquium. The event featured a panel discussion with the goal of developing action plans for peace. Above, several women leaders of varying religious and cultural backgrounds gathered with ribbons for a celebratory dance.

Environmental Leadership

Warren Wilson College (NC) held its first Sustainable Development Conference in summer 2007. The conference focused on general contractors, landscape architects, developers, lawyers, and facility managers in a search for ways to build sustainable developments in the college’s local mountain region. During the conference, classes were taught by guest teachers on a variety of topics such as renewable energy, green marketing, and environmental regulations. A second annual conference is already planned for summer 2008.

Chapman University’s (CA) Hobbs Institute for Real Estate, Law, and Environmental Studies has launched “Green Both Ways,” an initiative to encourage environmental sensitivity through business market incentives. Under the “Green Both Ways” initiative, the institute will launch a website (www.greenbothways.com), offer a certificate program, and lead international expeditions for entrepreneurs seeking first-hand experience of sustainable developments in the real world. The “Green Both Ways” website will be the key platform for the initiative, showcasing faculty work, ideas, and experiences from the above-mentioned expeditions, thereby serving as a key reference for investors, business and community leaders, educators, and real estate developers who are seeking to learn how to serve the environment and make a financial profit.

Digital Campus Experiences

CIC institutions continue to offer creative ways to make their campus resources more widely available through digital technology. Lourdes College (OH) has launched www.lourdesworld.com, a new campus social networking website for the college. Designed for current and prospective students, alumni, and other members of the Lourdes community, the site offers an interactive, multimedia view of Lourdes College life through daily photos and videos, podcasts, blogs, online chats, and links to Lourdes pages on websites such as Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, and YouTube. Since Lourdes is largely nonresidential, the LourdesWorld site provides an expanded way for individuals to connect, socialize, and explore Lourdes while living off-campus.

Mercyhurst College (PA) has created a campus cybertour featuring virtual guides. By visiting Mercyhurst’s website (www.mercyhurst.com) and choosing one of two real-life Mercyhurst campus guides (Mihailo “Mixa” Jovanovic, a sophomore business major from Serbia, or Kara Stadelman, a sophomore music major from Ohio), individuals can view images of Mercyhurst’s campus while Mihailo or Kara provides a unique campus narration. Mihailo and Kara’s video images are superimposed over dozens of panoramic campus views and building interior pictures, while their recorded voices provide information, facts, and history on what individuals are seeing. Individuals are able to control their tour by dragging and clicking around a campus map, and some parts of the tour feature video footage of campus events.

Wofford College (SC) has begun offering a campus audio tour via iPod. The audio tour is specifically designed for viewing the 250 species of trees planted across campus (the campus is well-known for its diverse selection of trees and is officially designated as an arboretum). Individuals download the audio tour from the college’s website, upload it on their iPod, and then listen as they walk and view the trees around campus. Individuals can also download campus maps and pictures of the trees ahead of time to supplement their walking tour. Use of the iPod tour was inspired by the increase in iPod audio tours in museums, aquariums, and other public learning spaces around the country.

Announcing New Programs

Numerous CIC institutions have expanded their academic offerings with new degree programs. Mount Mary College (WI) has added a new Master of Business Administration program; Molloy College (NY) has added a Master of Science in Criminal Justice; Goshen College (IN) will offer its first master’s degree program, a Master of Arts in Environmental Education; Montreat College (NC) has added a Bachelor of Arts in Communication; Mount Vernon Nazarene University (OH) is launching two blended online programs—a Bachelor of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Management; Olivet College (MI) is offering a major in special education; Naropa University (CO) has added a new peace studies major; Elmhurst College (IL) will offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; Aurora University (IL) has introduced Bachelor of Arts degrees in art, theatre, and special education; Pikeville College (KY) has announced a new Bachelor of Social Work degree; and Benedictine University (IL) has created two new degrees, an interdisciplinary global studies major and a Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Journalism.

Loras College (IA) has implemented an Irish studies minor; and Gordon College (MA) has started a new classics minor.

“Reaching for Courage: Gateway to China,” a sculpture design by Saint Joseph’s College of Maine art professor Scott Fuller (above) and artist Asherah Cinnamon, has been selected as a finalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Landscape Sculpture Contest. The design is one of 290 finalists selected from over 2,400 submissions. The winning design will be installed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Campaign Success

An impressive number of CIC institutions successfully reached the financial goals of their fundraising campaigns—all of which were the largest campaigns in the institutions’ histories. University of Richmond (VA) completed its “Transforming Bright Minds” capital campaign more than a year ahead of schedule. The campaign raised over $200 million for the construction of a new stadium as well as expansions of the business school, law school, library, and campus center. St. Edward’s University (TX) completed “A Special Destiny: The Campaign for St. Edward’s University,” which raised more than $70 million to be used for scholarships and the endowment. The College of Wooster (OH) completed “Independent Minds: The Campaign for Wooster,” which garnered more than $147 million to be used for new and renovated facilities as well as endowed scholarships and professorships. Regis University (CO) officially concluded “The Campaign for Regis University, Writing the Next Chapter,” a five-year, $82.7 million campaign. The funds are being used for campus improvements and student financial aid. Finally, Lebanon Valley College (PA) completed its $50 million comprehensive campaign, “Great Expectations.” The campaign raised over $55 million to increase the college’s endowment, enhance current operations, and complete several capital projects.

Announcing Gifts and Grants

Three CIC institutions have announced record-breaking gifts—the largest in their respective histories. Gordon College (MA) received a $60 million gift from Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler to be used for unrestricted endowment. The gift nearly triples the size of the current endowment. Moravian College (PA) received $4.5 million from the late Charles D. Couch, and Lindsey Wilson College (KY) received $725,124 to be used for a residence hall renovation.
Other CIC institutions have received sizeable gifts. University of the Ozarks (AR) received $20 million from the late Helen Walton (the wife of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton) to kick off the university’s “Promise of Excellence Campaign.” Hollins University (VA) raised a total of $15 million from students, alumni, faculty members, and others in a seven-month period to match a $5 million challenge gift by an anonymous donor. The funds will be used for endowed scholarships, academic programs, campus beautification, distinguished speakers, and other purposes. College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University (MN) received $10.3 million from Tom Petters and Dan and Katharine Whalen to establish a center for global excellence and a center for public policy and civic engagement. University of Richmond (VA) received $9 million from former university trustee Carole Weinstein to construct the Carole Weinstein International Center. Lynn University (FL) received $6 million from Elaine J. Wold to build a performing arts center. Seattle Pacific University (WA) received an unrestricted cash gift of $4.83 million from the late Winifred Weter to build a performance hall. Furman University (SC) received a $4 million challenge gift from four alumni couples and a corporation to help complete funding for the Charles H. Townes Center for Sciences. Ohio Northern University received a $3 million gift from Eugene A. Beeler to be used for the university’s endowment and general fund. Marywood University (PA) received a $2.3 million gift from Richard Maslow that includes funds for the university’s endowment and a renovation of the Shields Center for Visual Arts, as well as a notable collection of art work by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, and other artists, to be housed in the renovated Shields Center. St. Bonaventure University (NY) received $2 million from Louis and Patricia Magnano for the university’s “Anniversary Campaign.”

Other gifts and grants are enabling institutions to endow chairs, create or add to academic centers, and increase enrollment. College of Santa Fe (NM) received a $1.5 million grant from the Thaw Charitable Trust to establish the Eugene V. Thaw Professorship of Art History. Northland College (WI) received $1.25 million from John H. Chapple to establish and endow a chair in business ethics and social responsibility. Central College (IA) received a $1 million gift from Barry and Michelle Griswell to fund the psychology wing of a planned education and psychology building. Lourdes College (OH) received a $950,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase student enrollment and diversity in its Certified Nurses Aides program, and Barry University (FL) received a $778,000 grant from the Eckerd Family Foundation to create a Juvenile Justice Center.

New and Renovated Facilities

Roanoke College (VA) completed construction of the new $2.7 million Donald J. Kerr Stadium. The all-weather stadium features 1,030 seats, artificial turf, new fencing, and non-glare lights and will be used for a variety of sports. Newman University (KS) completed two new residence halls. The new facilities include 72 traditional-style suites, 29 two-bedroom apartments, and six four-bedroom apartments.

King’s College (PA) has begun three major renovation projects totaling nearly $10 million. The first project—the most expensive, costing $8 million—involves renovating Holy Cross Hall, the primary men’s residence hall, to include triple rooms, new lighting and windows, upgraded lounges, and refurbished air conditioning; the second project involves extensive infrastructure improvements to the college’s theatre facilities including installation of a state-of-the-art electrical distribution system and a new lighting control panel; and the third project includes a $1 million expansion of the Scandlon Physical Education Center that will add a two-story window-lined enclosure around the exercise center and upgrade the building’s lobby. These recent projects are in addition to $30 million that King’s College has spent in the last six years on campus improvement projects.

In what is surely a first among college presidents, University of Charleston (WV) President Edward Welch has had a towboat named in his honor. Welch (pictured left) stands with Charles T. Jones, chairman of Madison Coal and Supply, the company that owns the towboat. The towboat, built in 1959, will be called the “Dr. Ed” and will tow coal from the West Virginia coal fields to power plants along the Ohio River. According to sources, “the ship’s captain was an underclassman at West Virginia Wesleyan College and had young Dr. Welch for New Testament history in 1971. He received a D; however, he became an excellent towboat captain.”

Changing Status

Waynesburg University (PA), Franklin Pierce University (NH), and Misericordia University (PA) recently changed their status from college to university.