Last month I wrote about liberal arts colleges that should probably be considered among the Colleges That Change Lives, but are not. In December I reported on the University of Scranton, a relatively small (3,600 full-time undergraduates) university that would be a good fit onto a list of Small Universities That Change Lives.
What should Small Universities That Change Lives “do?”
Much like the Colleges That Change Lives, Small Universities That Change Lives should offer academic programs and services that enable their students to graduate and successfully move on to life after college. But these must also be a credible alternative to the larger public universities in terms of academic offerings.
What should Small Universities That Change Lives “be?”
And here’s the list
Among the schools that I have visited in my working life, a list of Small Universities That Change Lives would include:
Three other schools: Merrimack College (MA with 63% graduation rate), Christopher Newport University (VA and 63%) and the University of Mary Washington (VA and 60%) could make this list within two or three years.
Five other schools would also qualify by the time such a book came out, including:
This list could grow as more colleges improve their student support services, especially academic advising and residence life. I was also looking for test-optional schools. That ruled out many that I researched online.
I could have included test-mandatory schools and ended up with a list that was much longer. However, merit-based aid is more likely be awarded to the highest scoring applicants. If I was wrong about a school that is not listed here on this point, tell me, and I will research the school. If you would like to have a copy of a past write-up on one of the schools that I have visited, let me know.
If I have done nothing else with this exercise, I hope that I have pointed out that a very good school works successfully with the students that it attracts to come. It takes commitments on the part of many offices within a college to attain that success. Those commitments are shown on this page through a list of Small Universities That Change Lives.
Need help in considering the colleges that should be on your list? Contact me at stuart@educatedquest.com, or call me at 609-406-0062.
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