Lawrence Today magazine, Fall 2009
DEAR LAWRENTIANS,
This issue of Lawrence Today, the President’s Report, is a unique opportunity to share the excitement that comes with a new academic year, and also to report on “The State of the University” and the ways in which we continue to fulfill our mission. The cover of the magazine reveals our big news — the opening of the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center — the crown jewel capping a year filled with much success.
While there is an abundance of good news to share, last year’s sharp economic downturn presented significant challenges for all higher education institutions, including Lawrence. Our endowment declined substantially, forcing us to make difficult choices such as a wage and salary freeze that would reduce operating costs and help keep our budget in balance. Throughout the decline, however, we have maintained a strong commitment to our academic and artistic core. We have successfully avoided many of the less desirable steps taken by other colleges, such as cutting positions and programs.
It is especially satisfying that a number of national agencies, foundations and publications have weighed in with very favorable opinions of Lawrence University. As I write this, 16 prestigious national foundations and eight national agencies are funding the work of Lawrence students and faculty. Their support, competitively won, indicates a strong national level of recognition for the quality of the work we do.
Forbes.com recently ranked Lawrence University 41st among 600 of the nation’s colleges and universities. Now in its second year of ranking “America’s Best Colleges,” Forbes looks at the quality of the education colleges provide, as well as the experience of the students and their life achievements. CBS MoneyWatch.com, which analyzed the major ranking reports, praised Forbes’ methodology and featured Lawrence as a “liberal arts jewel” that scores well when ranking reports “actually attempt to measure the quality of the education students receive.”
The Princeton Review ranked Lawrence sixth in the country in terms of faculty accessibility to students and 10th in the category of best college theatre department. This recognition comes on the heels of last spring’s awards: the 67th Watson Fellowship to a Lawrence student since the program’s inception; four Fulbright scholars in the senior class (the most in a single class since records have been kept); and two DownBeat magazine awards to our musicians in the categories of nation’s best classical ensemble, and best college band in pop/rock/or blues.
Lawrence was ranked among the top 25 percent of colleges in U.S. News and World Report this summer, but fell three places to 59th among 249 national colleges and universities. We note here our continued frustration that U.S. News does not take into account the work at the core of Lawrence’s liberal education, as it does not recognize individual tutorials or one-on-one music lessons as small classes. These forms of teaching and learning, as we all know, are two of Lawrence’s historical points of distinction.
Lawrence is a community that “celebrates accomplishment,” as our Mission Statement reads, and the President’s Report provides an opportunity for doing just that. Each year, 10 faculty members are selected for inclusion in this report — faculty who have excelled inside the classroom and out. Their accomplishments are but a few of the remarkable stories that have comprised Lawrence’s success over the past year. My congratulations go to each of the faculty members profiled, and to the entire Lawrence faculty for its extraordinary scholarship and creativity, and for its unwavering dedication to our students.
Following 21 years of planning and aspiration, the Lawrence campus community is enthusiastically welcoming the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center. This beautiful and versatile building represents a monumental step forward in the development of the residential campus setting that is so critical to our mission. On the following pages you will discover what makes this new facility unique and also the sense of excitement it has brought to our campus and community. Just as important is the “center” that it brings to the Lawrence community. Once a campus of defined areas — the academic area and the western dorms — we are now one cohesive and connected campus. The campus center’s inviting, comfortable and accessible spaces facilitate the interpersonal connections and interdependence outside the classroom that are defining characteristics of our educational environment.
Finally, we applaud those whose names appear on the donor roster in this report: the university is inspired and deeply gratified by your commitment and contribution to Lawrence’s continued success. Your support is an expression of confidence in our college and our mission. Your gifts generate a sense of optimism that is in abundance on campus this fall. We invite you to visit Lawrence soon, to experience the new campus center first-hand and to share in our celebration. On behalf of Lawrence University students, faculty and staff, thank you.
Sincerely,
Jill Beck, President
