Alma Chosen as a College of Conscience
Alma College is one of the nation's best colleges fostering social responsibility and public service, according to The Princeton Review and Campus Compact. It is one of 81 institutions in 33 states — and the only private college in Michigan — that The Princeton Review commends and features in its forthcoming book, Colleges With a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement.
"This recognition affirms Alma College's mission to prepare students to serve generously, lead purposefully, and live responsibly as stewards of a world they bequeath to future generation," said Dr. Saundra J. Tracy, Alma College president. "We are very pleased that these qualities of an Alma education are recognized nationally. The criteria for Colleges with A Conscience highlight a special aspect of Alma College and its students."
Available
in bookstores, the book (Random House / Princeton Review Books,
$18.95 paperback) has two-page profiles on each college and
advice for applicants.
The Princeton Review partnered with Campus Compact, a national organization committed to the civic purposes of higher education, to develop Colleges With a Conscience and choose the schools featured in the book. The book's editors also invited dozens of organizations with expertise in campus community service and student engagement to nominate colleges for inclusion.
"A college with a conscience," says Robert Franek, Princeton Review V.P., Admission Services, "has both an administration committed to social responsibility and a student body actively engaged in serving society. Education at these schools isn't only about private gain: it's about the public good."
Criteria included the college's admissions practices and scholarships rewarding community service; support for service-learning programs, student activism, and student voice in school governance; and level of social engagement of its student body. The Princeton Review and Campus Compact winnowed a list of 100 schools from a pool of more than 900 colleges. From this shortlist, the editors collected extensive data about schools' service programs and policies, surveying their students and faculty/staff.
The 81 schools chosen for Colleges With a Conscience represent a diverse range of institutions by geographic region, campus size, setting (urban/rural), and type (public/private). Each two-page profile provides detailed information about civic engagement and service-learning programs on campus, in the classroom, and in the community, as well as advice for applicants. The book also includes a section on researching colleges with service-learning programs and gaining financial support for service. Profiles of 15 students share perceptions and feedback about their civic engagement activities, advice, and experience.
To learn more about additional achievements at and by Alma College, visit the Recent Accomplishments page on the College's site.
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Posted: Mon, May 16th, 2005 at 3:15PM
