Sheep on Campus

College Avenue is not only the primary route to the College from Highway 89 in Ephraim; it is a historic sheep trail. For more than a hundred years sheep headers have taken their sheep up the road through the middle of the College to mountain pastures in the spring and back down the road in the fall. Our Asian international students line up on the side of the road with smiles and cameras. It is part of our heritage. And we all love it. I am indebted to Wally Burris for this shot.

What Does Affordable Mean?

I tell friends Snow College offers a nationally ranked education with exceptional graduation and transfer rates. And that it is very affordable! But what does affordable mean? Take a look at this chart. Snow College’s tuition and fees total $1,543 per semester. Add housing costs in Ephraim, which runs from $750 to $1,250 per semester. And keep in the back of your mind that most students at Snow College—do not have a car—they do not need a car to drive back and forth to school, part-time job and church because they can walk everywhere they need to go.

Ok, let’s put the savings aside that students bank for not having to pay for, maintain, insure and fill a car with gas and just look at tuition, fees and housing. The total cost for tuition, fees and housing at Snow College ranges from $2,293 to $2,793 per semester.

The bottom line: A student can attend nationally ranked Snow College—as a resident student—enjoying all the benefits of the full college experience, for less money than it will cost her to live in her parents’ basement and commute to any university in Utah.

In this economy we are all concerned about getting the best value for our dollar. Snow College offers the chance for students to enjoy the benefits of the full, residential college experience during the freshman and sophomore years and then transfer to a university for the last two years, all for less money.

Snow College has the Ideal Learning Environment

Let me begin with three facts.

1.  90% of the students attending Snow College in Ephraim live within close walking distance of campus.

2.  More than half of the faculty members live within walking distance of the campus.

3.  Snow College is set in a community with few distractions and where life for college students centers on the 50-acre college campus.

This combination of resident faculty and students in a community focused on the College leads to more student interactions with faculty members and an increase in co-curricular and extra-curricular activity. No other college or university in Utah has such an ideal learning environment.

Research supports the fact that residential students are more engaged in effective educational practices then commuter students. Kuth, Gonyea and Palmer, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning, conducted one such survey of student engagement. They found, “residential students were more engaged in effective educational practices and—in all likelihood—were benefiting more from their college experience.” In particular, the study found that residential students have more interaction with faculty members and are more likely to take advantage of co-curricular activities, field trips and community service.

Jing Wang and Jonathan Shiveley from the Office of Institutional Research at California State University, Sacramento found that “students achieved much higher rates of retention and graduation, maintained better GPAs, and had higher good standing rates when they engaged in any [extra-curricular] activities.”

So there you have it. One of the reasons why Snow College students excel and have much higher graduation rates that its peers is because of the unique, residential learning environment.

New Student Living

Snow College is just now finishing its latest student housing complex. It will not be hard to pick it out as it is right at the College gateway on College Avenue--and besides, the next newest dorm building was completed way back in 1969. This is an extraordinary building and a great addition to our campus. It has 400 beds, game rooms, exercise room, two balconies, eight laundry rooms, public kitchens, sand volleyball, barbecue facilities and whatever else I am forgetting right now. 

Best College in the West!

Snow College Leads State in Scholarships for Utah Student Athletes

The Deseret News just reported that 597 high school students in the 2012 graduating class received a scholarship to play college athletics this fall. Most of the students are going to colleges outside of Utah. Of the students heading to in-state schools the largest number are going to be playing for Snow College. According to theDeseret News, “Snow signed in the most in-state kids with 21.” See Deseret News, June 29, 2012

After publishing this post we went back add added up the number of high school students in the 2012 graduating class who are coming to Snow College on athletic scholarship. The number is 38, which is higher than the Deseret News report. 

My American History Summer

I just returned from a wonderful two-week vacation. Instead of hiking 150 miles along the John Muir Trail—like I did last summer—I decided to do the intellectual equivalent. I enrolled in two intensive, weeklong, master degree level, American Government and History classes at a small liberal arts university in Ohio—Ashland University. My classes were taught by visiting professors. I came home with 13 books and about a thousand pages of other materials. I read much of it in preparation for the classes and during the weeks there, and I look forward to getting through the rest of it over the course of the next several months.

The faculty was outstanding: I took Civil War and Reconstruction from Mackubin T. Owens, U.S. Naval War College, and Lucas Morel, Washington and Lee University; and The American Revolution from Robert M.S. McDonald, U.S. Military Academy, and Scott Yenor, Boise State University.

I come home with a much greater appreciation and understanding of these two significant periods in our nation’s history, motivation to learn more, and a few ideas for the one class I teach at Snow College—American National Government.

CNNMoney Ranks Snow College 6th in Nation

Many organizations rank universities. Rankings of two-year colleges are rare. In a recent post I mentioned the Aspen Institute has twice ranked Snow College in the top 10% of all two-year colleges in America. Last week another ranking was just published. CNNMoney ranked Snow College 6^th in the nation. Not top 6%--number 6. (There are approximately 1,200 two-year colleges.)

According to CNNMoney “Not all community colleges are created equal. Figuring out which school will give you the best chance of transferring to a four-year college or university can be difficult . . . . But here’s a good way to start. College Measures, a join venture of the American Institutes of Research and Matrix Knowledge Group, has created a chart for CNNMoney to help students find the best options. Based on the percentage of students that graduated within three years or transferred to four-year colleges, they compiled a “success” rating for each community college in the U.S.” And then for 22 pages CNNMoney listed the ranking for various colleges. Snow College is on the top of the pile.

For a little comparison, U.S. News and World Report ranks universities. Five universities tied for the 6th place spot, including California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania. Snow College is in the world of community colleges what CIT, MIT, Stanford, Chicago and Pennsylvania is in the world of universities.

Not bad!

This ranking is another great tribute to our faculty and staff who have created a very supportive, learning environment at Snow College. You can see the CNNMoney article at http://money.cnn.com/pf/college/community-colleges/?iid=EL 6/9/12

Dutch Master Carl Purcell!

I wandered into one of our painting studios this morning to say hello to Carl Purcell, a Snow College emeritus professor of art, who is teaching his annual summer watercolor workshop. And I discovered that his watercolor instruction book has just been translated into Dutch. Carl is a spectacular artist and teacher. I guess if the Dutch artists want to learn from Carl that makes him a sort of Dutch Master? Well, we can think so! So here is a picture of Snow College’s own Dutch master, in his studio, teaching students who have come to Ephraim, Utah, from all over the country to learn watercolor technic. He is holding his book, translated into Dutch.

Snow College has a long reputation for its quality visual art program. We are bringing forward this year a proposal to launch an associate of fine arts degree. The Last time I looked visual arts was one of our five fastest growing programs at the College. 

Noyes Building

I took this picture a little while ago. It is our landmark building--the Noyes Building. It is a delight to work in every day. The first floor is devoted to classrooms and faculty offices. The other floors have administrative offices and gathering spaces, along with a collection of permanent College artifact displays.  My office is room 332. Stop by and say hello if you are ever in town!

Snow College Jazz

Carl Allen, the Artistic Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School in New York City and one of the finest drummers in America, was the Snow College commencement speaker this year. He is part of the wonderful collaboration between The Juilliard School and Snow College. Few people outside of Snow College have done more to help the College and our students than Carl Allen. We asked several music students to play some jazz for the commencement breakfast honoring Carl. He couldn’t sit still long enough to finish his breakfast. He was up encouraging the students and eventually jumped in to play with them. 

Playing with Carl is kind of like showing up showing up for a Boy Scout merit badge camp and discovering President Obama is your Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge Counselor.

Keep swinging!

Top 10% Again!

For the second year running Snow College has been named in the top 10% of all two-year colleges in America. This recognition by the Aspen Institute is part of the national Community College Excellence program. Snow College is the only honoree in Utah and in its neighboring states of Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada. The recognition is given to those colleges whose students demonstrate high levels of success.

Why is Snow College in the top 10% of its peers in leading students to success? It is really quite easy to explain. It is a result of the longstanding culture of the school. Snow College has an exceptional learning and student support environment. The best research indicates that each of the factors listed below leads to higher rates of student success. The factors include:

1. Academic and Career Advising. The College has the highest advisor-to-student ratio of any institution in the State with one full-time advisor for every 400 students. Additionally, the College has trained its student recruiters/high school relations officers as entry-level advisors who are able to begin academic and career advising with the first contact. The College also has faculty-advisors who focus on specific disciplines.

2. Full-Time Faculty. The College has the highest percentage of classes being taught by full-time faculty in the state—66% of all classes at Snow College are taught by full-time faculty members. The average in the state is 54%. Further contributing to the successful learning environment is the fortunate circumstance that 67% of the Ephraim campus faculty members live within walking distance of the campus.

3. Small Class Size. The average class size is 19 students. A new classroom building was constructed two years ago; all classrooms are intentionally small to help maintain the small class size as part of our culture. Since I mentioned classrooms—we think we have the largest percentage of high-tech classrooms in the state as well.

4. Residential Campus. The College is the most residential college or university in Utah. 90% of the students at the main campus in Ephraim live within walking distance of campus. This year the College is doubling it on-campus housing to provide more close housing opportunities constructed in the manner suggested by the best research. (You probably didn’t know that the type of housing is a factor in student persistent and completion rates.)

5. Extra and Co-Curricular Activities. More than 75% of all college students actively participate in at least one extra-curricular club or organization while at Snow College. Most disciplines offer co-curricular activities.

6. College Preparation Orientation Course. The College offers a fall semester college orientation course for entering freshman. The program connects groups of 25 to 30 students with a faculty or staff mentor, builds networks with fellow students, and involves them in opportunities to learn and experience vital keys to success in academic and student life. Each year at least 70% of the entering freshman class voluntarily enroll in this highly recommended, but not required, one credit course. Two high energy days before the first day of class are followed by weekly meetings in small groups to share tips and insights and create opportunities to link new students to college resources and skills that strengthen their chances of persisting and completing. Internal research indicates that course participants persist, graduate and maintain higher GPAs than their peers who do not participate in the course.

Each of the factors listed above is expensive. The College could increase the percent of adjunct faculty instruction, build larger classroom and increase class size, decrease the number of advisors, or build cheaper housing. But the College understands the importance of this unique environment and maintains it as well as possible.

And we are not satisfied. Faculty and staff members just participated in a multiday workshop with Complete College America in order to get a broader view of how to do even better. We are developing exciting new programs for students with developmental needs in math and English on the one hand and improving opportunities for the highest achieving students on the other. For example, we have revitalized our Honors Program and expanded high-level co-curricular experiences, for example every geology student goes on a field trip.

Life is good here. And getting better.