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.

Snow College is Growing

The third-week enrollment numbers for all colleges and universities were released today. There are no surprises in the two schools with the most growth. They are Utah Valley University (3.65%) and Dixie State College (4.52%)—soon also to become a University. These two schools are situated in growing counties and have seen significant change in their missions. UVU was a two-year college until 1993; Dixie was a two-year college until 2000. UVU recently became a university and both have been adding bachelor’s degrees at a fairly good pace.

Snow College is listed third behind UVU and Dixie for growth in full-time equivalent students (2.62%) followed by Utah State University (2.48%), the University of Utah (2.23%), and Weber State University (0.88%). Southern Utah University (-3.74%) and Salt Lake Community College (-4.29%) saw enrollment dips.

There are many factors that contribute to the enrollment changes for the various institutions. But it is worth pausing to note that Snow College, situated in the most remote and rural setting, offering no more than two-year degrees, is still a strong draw for students right out of high school. We see continual growth in students coming from across rural Utah, and also from the urban Wasatch Front.

It is typical during downturns in the economy for students to stay home, keep their jobs, and attend a college or university within driving distance of home. Snow College continues to buck this trend. It is primarily a residential college. 90% of our students make a decision to temporarily relocate to attend. The only other non-metropolitan institution in Utah is Southern Utah University, which dropped in enrollments this year.

Why do students continue to choose Snow College over more convenient colleges and universities? It is because of the wonderful opportunities at Snow College. It is because students are successful in reaching their academic goals here. I have mentioned data that support this claim in prior posts and I will continue to publish facts that tell the Snow College story.

Snow College is a Top 10 College

The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence was announced at the first White House Community College Summit last October. Following October a national committee analyzed publicly available data on student outcomes at all two-year colleges in America (there are 1,200 of us). The committee considered three criteria: (1) student performance in retention, graduation and transfers; (2) improvement of completion performance over time; and (3) equity for disadvantaged students.

The committee recently announced that Snow College is among the top ten percent of all two-year colleges in America. We are the only College in Utah and one of only a few in the Intermountain West found in the top ranks. This honor is a recognition for which we did not apply. I just woke up one morning and found an email in my inbox with congratulations! Very fun.

This recognition for being in the top 10 percent is acknowledgment that our faculty and staff are really doing a great job. I have been telling people Snow College is one of the best two-year colleges in the West. Now I have proof.