Top 10 Stories of 2024 Reflect Accolades, Contributions

In 2024, Kalamazoo College continued to earn accolades from top publications as a leading institution of higher education. This distinction was bolstered by the remarkable contributions of our faculty, staff, and academic departments, as well as by the generous support of donors through the Brighter Light Campaign. Here are the top 10 stories you engaged with most this year. You can also check out the top 10 stories from our students, faculty and staff, and alumni. 

10. K Honors Employees, Student Ambassadors at Founders Day

Professor of English Bruce Mills is this year’s recipient of the Lux Esto Award of Excellence. Director of Grants, Fellowship and Research Jessica Fowle ’00 was given the Outstanding Advisor Award and Associate Director of the Center for International Programs (CIP) Alayna Lewis received the First-Year Advocate Award.

Bruce Mills receives the Lux Esto Award of Excellence from Jorge Gonzalez — Professor of English Bruce Mills receives the Lux Esto Award of Excellence from Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez at the Founders Day community reflection.

9. Fund Supports Strength-and-Conditioning Program

Generous contributions from several alumni and parent donors are enhancing the offerings of the Kalamazoo College Athletic Department’s strength and conditioning program, which is providing student-athletes with confidence and improved performance in the weight room and in competition.

Emma Stickley lifts weights before discussing the strength and conditioning program at Kalamazoo College — Emma Stickley ’24 lifts weights before discussing the strength and conditioning program.

8. K Joins Network Focused on First-Generation Student Success

The FirstGen Forward Network—an organization that partners with colleges and universities, philanthropists, businesses and the public sector to catalyze first-generation student success in higher education—selected Kalamazoo College to be among its newest members.

First-Generation Student Success Panel at Orientation — A panel of first-generation students welcomed more first-generation students to Kalamazoo College during Orientation in September 2024.

7. Brighter Light Campaign Raises More Than $200M

Kalamazoo College’s largest-ever fundraising campaign came to an end, raising a total of $203,236,489 from more than 16,500 donors.

6. New Quantitative Economics Major Provides Options

Some adjustments in Kalamazoo College’s Department of Economics and Business have created a new major that will better prepare students who are interested in pursuing academic programs beyond K and more technical career paths, such as data analytics.

Patrik Hultberg working at a blackboard as quantitative economics major comes to Kalamazoo College — Edward and Virginia Van Dalson Professor of Economics Patrik Hultberg said that quantitative economics will be an excellent option for students who are interested in pursuing programs beyond K and more technical career paths.

5. Colleges Worth Your Money Highlights K

A book endorsed by education authors, reporters and professionals that highlights the value of 200 colleges and universities across the country features Kalamazoo College for the third consecutive year.

Colleges Worth Your Money Book Cover top 10 stories — Kalamazoo College is one of 200 institutions of higher education featured in “Colleges Worth Your Money.”

4. Princeton Review Rates K Among Best Colleges

The Princeton Review has once again placed Kalamazoo College among the top 15 percent of America’s four-year colleges and universities by featuring K in the 2025 edition of its annual guide, The Best 390 Colleges.  

Light Fine Arts top 10 stories — The Princeton Review is rating Kalamazoo College among the best in the country in the book “The Best 390 Colleges.”

3. Fulbright Honors K as U.S. Student Program Top Producer

Kalamazoo College claimed 11 Fulbright representatives overall in 2023, including seven who counted toward 2024 U.S. Student Program numbers. Those seven honorees place the College among the top 20 U.S. Student Program referring baccalaureate institutions in the country.

Natalie Call top 10 stories — Natalie Call ’23 was one of seven Fulbright U.S. Student Program honorees representing Kalamazoo College in the 2023–24 academic year.

2. Money Lauds K Among Top Colleges

Money magazine released its latest appraisals of the Best Colleges in America while again naming Kalamazoo College among the best in the country. K received four stars, making it one of about 200 private schools from around the country with at least that ranking. 

Three biochemistry students working together in a lab Money magazine top 10 stories — Money magazine says Kalamazoo College is a gem, a gem “known for its K-Plan, which augments a traditional liberal arts curriculum with experiential learning through research, study abroad, internships, and community service and civic projects.”

1. Track and Field Returns to Kalamazoo College

For the first time since the early 1980s, Kalamazoo College will offer a track and field program for student-athletes beginning in the 2025–26 academic year. Both men and women will compete in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association indoor (winter) and outdoor (spring) seasons.