The Princeton Review highlights Kalamazoo College in its annual college guide, The Best 386 Colleges.
The Princeton Review again is endorsing Kalamazoo College as one of the nation’s best institutions for degree-seeking undergraduates. The education-services company highlights K in its annual college guide, The Best 386 Colleges, for the third consecutive year.
The schools aren’t individually ranked in the edition released today, but the honor places K in about the top 13 percent of the nation’s 3,000 four-year colleges. The Princeton Review chooses colleges for the book, one of its most popular publications, based on data it annually collects from administrators about their institutions’ academic offerings, and its surveys of college students who rate and report on various aspects of their campus and community experiences.
“We salute Kalamazoo College for its outstanding academics and we are truly pleased to recommend it to prospective applicants searching for their personal ‘best-fit’ college,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of The Best 386 Colleges.
The Princeton Review student survey features questions about professors, administrators, school services, campus culture and other facets of campus life. The K students the Princeton Review interviewed said the K-Plan allows students to develop strong personal relationships with their peers and professors on a campus run by and for the students. Plus, the open curriculum means students have more time to explore exactly what they want to learn.
In extra-curriculars, students say they can find their niche quickly in the small-school environment, allowing most to engaged in work they care about.
The Princeton Review’s school profiles in The Best 386 Colleges are posted at http://www.princetonreview.com/best386 where they can be searched for free with site registration. The Best 386 Colleges is the 29th annual edition of The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” book and is available for purchase online.
Karen Isble, an associate vice chancellor and campaign director at the University of California, Irvine, will be K’s new vice president for advancement beginning Sept. 14. Photo credit: Steve Zylius/UCI.
President Jorge G. Gonzalez announced today that Karen Isble will join Kalamazoo College as the institution’s new vice president for advancement. Isble, associate vice chancellor and campaign director for university advancement at University of California, Irvine, will begin her new role on Sept. 14, 2020.
“Karen has had a long and successful career in advancement and administration, both in higher education and the nonprofit sector, and I’m confident that her expertise will allow us to build upon our past successes,” said Gonzalez. “She is smart, thoughtful, and passionate about opening the doors of K to students from all backgrounds.”
Isble joined UC Irvine in 2017 and led the planning and execution of the university’s $2 billion comprehensive multi-year campaign, “Brilliant Future.” In this role, she worked with campus leadership, deans, unit directors, faculty members, foundation trustees, volunteers and advancement staff to foster partnerships, create awareness, and coordinate the activities which support the university’s campaign fundraising goals.
Prior to joining UC Irvine, Isble served as assistant vice president for development at the University of Michigan. During her 11 years at Michigan, she oversaw the prospect development, data and technology infrastructure for the 600-member development staff community, covering 36 schools, colleges, units, and the academic medical center. Isble also played an integral role in the university’s $5.3 billion “Victors for Michigan” campaign, coordinating multiple aspects of campaign planning, and working with campaign counsel, volunteers, donors and university leadership.
A Detroit native, Isble worked in arts administration and fundraising roles at the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Goodman Theatre prior to joining University of Michigan. She served for five years on the board of Apra, serving as president in 2013-14. She has been a speaker and author, regionally and nationally, with Apra, CASE and AFP, among others. Isble earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and her master’s degree from the University of Michigan.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining K, and I look forward to working across campus and with the community to ensure we can continue to make a transformational impact on its students for generations to come,” Isble says. “The opportunity to create a sustainable future for K through philanthropy and alumni engagement is an exciting challenge that I’m honored to undertake.”
Isble succeeds Vice President for Advancement Al DeSimone, who retired on July 1 after nearly a decade at the College. She was selected after a competitive nationwide search conducted by an on-campus committee with the assistance of Storbeck Search & Associates, an executive search firm specializing in the education and non-profit sectors. Comprised of faculty, staff and trustees, the committee was chaired by Provost Danette Ifert Johnson.
Kalamazoo College is one of 300 institutions of higher education in the U.S., Canada and the UK featured in the latest Fiske Guide to Colleges.
Kalamazoo College’s academic and experiential excellence again is recognized in the annual Fiske Guide to Colleges, the publisher Sourcebooks has announced.
In the 2021 version, available now, the publication says K students “pursue a liberal arts curriculum that includes language proficiency, a first-year writing seminar, sophomore and senior seminars, as well as a senior individualized project—directed research, a creative piece, or a traditional thesis—basically anything that caps off each student’s education in some meaningful way.”
In addition to senior individualized projects promoting independent scholarship opportunities, the guide praises other tenets of the K-Plan, the College’s four-part, integrated approach to an excellent education, including:
Rigorous academics. The flexibility and rigor of K’s curriculum provides students with a customized academic experience.
Experiential education. students connect classroom learning with real-world experience by completing career development internships or externships, participating in civic engagement and service-learning projects, and getting involved in social justice leadership work.
The publication, compiled by former New York Times Education Editor Edward B. Fiske, is a selective, subjective and systematic look at more than 300 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and the UK.
The guide’s readers discover the personality of a college based on a broad range of subjects throughout the text including the student body, academics, social life, financial aid, campus setting, housing, food and extracurricular activities.
“K’s academic terms may be fast-paced and the workload demanding, but students are given the flexibility to pursue their interests through individualized projects and off-campus exploration,” the publication says. “The result, says a senior, is a student body defined by open-minded, global citizens.”
We at Kalamazoo College join with other higher education institutions to voice our opposition to guidance announced on July 6 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
At a time when we are facing a continued rise in COVID-19 cases around the country, colleges and universities require flexibility to adapt the delivery of curricula to keep our communities safe, and this flexibility should not come at a cost to our international students. International students have been an important and valued part of the Kalamazoo College community throughout its history, and this change in federal policy in the middle of a global health crisis shows a devastating lack of compassion and regard for our students.
The Center for International Programs (CIP) and Provost’s Office are strategizing about the best ways to support our F-1 visa holders given the recent directives. We are committed to creating an environment on campus that will allow them to study and remain in the U.S. for fall quarter and beyond.
Everyone at the College is committed to supporting our international students during this current situation and advocating on their behalf through as many channels as possible. I have already reached out directly to our congressional representative, Fred Upton, to express my dismay with the announcement and the need to extend the exceptions that were granted for the spring and summer, so that our international students can continue to study and learn at K, regardless of where they are living now and through the fall term. I encourage the K community to reach out to their elected officials, as well.
CIP will be communicating with students impacted by this decision and will be working with these students directly over the next weeks. While we are disappointed at the shortsightedness of this recent announcement, we will continue to engage in the world around us by providing a rich academic environment for students to thrive, no matter where they may call home.
The Admission team is taking measures to keep valued guests safe during their visits to campus. On-campus tours will resume Wednesday, July 15.
Starting on Wednesday, July 15, the Kalamazoo College Office of Admission will resume on-campus walking tours for prospective students and families. The Admission team is taking measures to keep valued guests safe during their visits to campus. Information sessions and counselor meetings will be available using virtual tools, and complete virtual visit experiences will continue to be offered.
In order to accommodate as many requests as possible, on-campus tours will be limited to 45 minutes, and visitors will be reminded of COVID-19 safety precautions. Per CDC guidelines and College social distancing efforts, precautions include:
PPE (face coverings, face masks) must be worn by staff and visitors at all times both inside and outside of campus buildings.
All visitors should maintain social distancing (6 feet of minimum distance from others not in visiting party). No close contact will be necessary during campus visits.
Visiting parties will be limited to four visitors or fewer, including the prospective student; attendees who do not wish to take the tour may wait in their vehicle.
Access to buildings, including the Office of Admission Welcome Center, will be limited. Restrooms will be available as needed, with one person able to enter the Welcome Center at a time.
Visitors may notice that the Kalamazoo College campus is quiet during the summer months; K does not offer summer coursework, so the lack of students at this time of year is perfectly normal. It’s a great opportunity to take in the sights without distractions!
Kalamazoo College is committed to compliance with the guidelines and restrictions set forth by the State of Michigan in the MI Safe Start Plan. To learn more about our efforts, please visit our COVID-19 Information and Resources page.
Five Kalamazoo College representatives are receiving one of the highest honors the federal government provides in regard to scholarship and international exchange. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to teach English, perform research or study abroad for one academic year. Some of the programs are in doubt and travel availability is uncertain this year given the COVID-19 pandemic. However, K’s representatives, should their programs ranging from Austria to Vietnam be uninterrupted, include several from the classes of 2019 and 2020.
Georgie Andrews ’20 plans to visit Austria through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Georgie Andrews ’20, Austria
Andrews was a business and studio art major at K, where she played on the women’s soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. She quickly became homesick when she traveled to Austria as a high school student, but her K study abroad experience in Bonn, Germany, led to her desire to travel more.
“I loved the culture and the atmosphere, and I was not homesick, which has made me feel like I could live there longer,” she said. “I think the main reason I wanted to return after study abroad was loving the public transportation, easy access to other countries, and the small grocery stores. I thought Fulbright would be a good chance to learn about myself as a teacher and also get to live in Austria or Germany again and continue to work on my German.”
Grace Beck ’19, Colombia
Beck was a biology and Spanish double major at K, where she joined the Asian Pacific Islander Student Association and Frelon, participated in World Night and Asia Fest, and volunteered as a teacher’s assistant at El Sol elementary in Kalamazoo.
COVID-19 has forced Fulbright to cancel the program in Colombia for Grace Beck ’19, but she hopes to return to Spain.
“I was very lucky to have an amazing study abroad experience in Ecuador and it definitely inspired me to seek more opportunities to live abroad after college, especially in South America,” Beck said. “I’ve also had the chance to travel to Peru, and in both countries, I was blown away by the beautiful scenery and the incredibly warm and friendly people I met. I decided to apply for the Fulbright in Colombia because I wanted to explore another country in South America.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Fulbright to cancel the program in Colombia, but Beck hopes to return to Spain this fall, where she was an English assistant this past school year in Murcia, Spain.
“My students were at times chaotic, but extremely eager to learn English and about where I came from,” Beck said. “Every time I said ‘Michigan,’ they heard ‘Mexico.’ When the lockdown started in mid-March, everyone in Spain had to stay inside for nearly 50 days, and my school asked for my help with online lessons. I chatted with my students about various topics and even played games like Bingo with them on Zoom. It was a strange but fun year and I’m looking forward to moving to Madrid in the fall if travel is possible. I still hope to get to Colombia one day, too, when this is all over.”
Paige Chung ’20, Vietnam
Paige Chung ’20 plans to visit Vietnam thanks to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Chung double majored in critical ethnic studies and English with a creative writing focus at K, where she worked in the Writing Center, Intercultural Center and Residential Life. She also participated in the Chinese Lion Dance Troupe and tried swimming, tae kwon do, K du Soleil and the improvisation group Monkapult.
“I chose K because I wanted to be far away from home,” Chung said. “I fell in love with the brick road and the tight knit community when I came to visit. It also helps that they offer competitive financial aid packages.”
Chung said she is thrilled to visit Vietnam as a member of the Vietnamese diaspora.
“I plan to eat food all the time,” she said. “Vietnam is abundant with flavors, textures and smells. I love my people’s food more than anything. I also plan to practice my language learning and build relationships in Vietnam.”
In Moldova, Brett Fitzgerald plans to volunteer with a nongovernmental organization, expand his musical interests, speak at conferences and universities, and work on his language skills through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Brett Fitzgerald ’19, Moldova
Fitzgerald was a political science and economics double major at K while playing on the men’s lacrosse team. He also was a clarinetist with the Symphonic Band and performed in several recitals.
His study abroad experience in Strasbourg, France, included volunteering at the AGORAé at the University of Strasbourg, an organization providing discount food and a social environment to low-income college students. An Elton W. Ham Grant, provided by K’s Political Science Department, and later allowed Fitzgerald to study child poverty in Romania.
“I jumped at the opportunity to teach English in Moldova through the Fulbright program not only because of its fascinating history and intercultural population, but also because the experience I gained through my Ham grant,” Fitzgerald said. “If it weren’t for the College’s support in allowing me the opportunity to study elements of my SIP in Romania, and thereby gaining a greater connection to education abroad and its impacts on shaping future generations in the region, I may not have even applied to the Fulbright in Moldova.”
In Moldova, he hopes to volunteer with a nongovernmental organization, expand his musical interests, speak at conferences and universities, and work on his language skills.
Fitzgerald credits Jessica Fowle ’00 and Anne Dueweke ’84, who have been K’s directors of grants, fellowships and research during his application process, for providing the guidance that have led to his opportunity.
Matthew Flotemersch ’20 will teach at a school in Hamburg, Germany, through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Matthew Flotemersch ’20, Germany
During his time at K, Flotemersch — a German studies major and philosophy minor — played on the men’s soccer team, acted through the Festival Playhouse, participated in Monkapult, and had a study abroad experience in Erlangen, Germany.
“My last week of study abroad was hectic,” he said. “Between packing, planning, goodbyes and everything else, I never really had a moment to just reflect on everything that I had done there in a year, everything that I had experienced. When my train pulled away from Erlangen for the last time, though, all the memories and feelings flooded back to me. With them came the realization that I had to return, through Fulbright or otherwise.”
When he returns to Germany through Fulbright, he will teach at a school in Hamburg.
“I can’t emphasize enough how excited I am to immerse myself in the culture and language again; this time, though, with a year of experience in Germany and another year of language courses at K under my belt,” Flotemersch said. “Any student abroad wants to take time to travel and explore, and of course I want to do more of that, but with my Fulbright year I want to be more active in my local community.”
Avila Selected as Alternate
A sixth K representative, Juan Avila ’19, has been named a Fulbright alternate. He could be selected to serve the program in Andorra should additional funds or an additional place become available.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants, chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, with opportunities to exchange ideas and contribute to solutions to shared international concerns. K consistently has been identified in recent years as one of the country’s top-producing Fulbright small colleges. Top-producing institutions are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
More than 1,900 U.S. students, artists and young professionals in more than 100 fields of study are offered Fulbright awards each year in more than 140 countries throughout the world. The program, funded by an annual appropriation from Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is managed through the U.S. Department of State.
As an institution that puts civic engagement at the heart of its mission, and as a community that works tirelessly toward justice, the senseless killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others hits us at our core.
When we watch the images in the news of George Floyd’s murder, we are witnessing the deadly consequences of systemic racism on the Black community and other communities of color. The outrage, pain, fear and sorrow are immeasurable. To all of our Black students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members, we mourn with you, and we stand in solidarity with you against racism, violence and injustice.
As we reflect on the protests this weekend and all the work that needs to be done, I am committed to continuing our efforts on diversity and inclusion at K. Creating institutional and cultural change is a slow process—often too slow—and it’s imperative that we continue to work toward a community where everyone feels welcome and safe on campus.
It is also important that we carry on with community partnerships and curricular and co-curricular experiences that address structural barriers and inequality in our larger society. Our graduates are among leading voices fighting for issues like access to health care, solutions to gun violence, job access, food and farming justice—and their experiences as K students formed the foundation of so much of their work. Our educational mission to foster enlightened leadership has never felt more critical.
More immediately, I encourage everyone in the K community to support our students, colleagues and friends of color. Take care of one another. Speak out against racism and bias. Listen to and lift up voices of color. And students, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Counseling Center if you need someone to talk to during these difficult times. You can call them at 269.337.7191, or you can contact Dr. Kenlana Ferguson at Kenlana.Ferguson@kzoo.edu. Resources are also available to employees through our Employee Assistance Program. Connect confidentially by calling 1.800.854.1446 (multi-lingual) or by visiting www.unum.com/lifebalance.
Kalamazoo College is excited to welcome Mj Huebner as its new vice president for admission and financial aid. Huebner is coming to K from the University of Texas Permian Basin, where she has been the interim vice president of enrollment management.
Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez announced today that Mj Huebner will join the liberal arts institution as the new vice president for admission and financial aid. Huebner, interim vice president of enrollment management at the University of Texas Permian Basin, will begin her new role on Sept. 8, 2020.
Huebner comes to K with nearly 30 years of higher education experience. In addition to leadership positions in admission and enrollment management at institutions such as Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, Huebner has worked as a trusted colleague with nearly 40 colleges and universities across the U.S. as an enrollment management consultant. In these various roles, Huebner has demonstrated her ability to evaluate critical data and trends, analyze and implement enhanced approaches for recruitment and financial aid, fine-tune marketing and communication strategies, and drive key enrollment metrics.
“We are excited that Mj brings a wealth of experience from a wide variety of colleges and universities, both as a member of the leadership team and as an outside consultant,” said Gonzalez. “Her strong focus on data analysis, measurement and continuous improvement, combined with her upbeat personality and positive management style, make her a great fit for K.”
As an alumna of Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Huebner also understands personally the value of a liberal arts education.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to support K’s mission to foster enlightened leadership in an increasingly uncertain and complex world,” said Huebner. “Building on K’s strong, time-tested tradition of excellence, our challenge for the future will be to stay relevant, top-of-mind and beloved. Greeting that challenge with enthusiastic authenticity, optimism and diplomacy will be a privilege.”
Huebner was selected after a nationwide search conducted by an on-campus committee with the assistance of Napier Executive Search, an executive search firm specializing in higher education and enrollment management. Comprised of faculty and staff, the committee was chaired by Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Sarah Westfall.
While the in-person Commencement will be postponed, the College will hold a virtual Conferral of Degrees ceremony on June 14.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic and recommendations from public health organizations, Kalamazoo College has announced it is postponing its in-person Commencement 2020 ceremony until a later date.
In a message to the senior class, President Jorge G. Gonzalez said, “This has been a tremendously difficult decision for us to make; however, public health experts continue to advise against large group gatherings as we head into summer. While the tradition of Commencement is sacred and dear, your safety and the safety of your families must come first. Nevertheless, I want to reassure you that we will have a Commencement ceremony for the class of 2020 on campus once it is safe to do so.”
While in-person events will be postponed, the College will hold a virtual Conferral of Degrees ceremony on June 14. Members of K’s Class of 2020 and their friends and families are invited to gather together online as College leadership recognizes each student and confers their Kalamazoo College degrees.
The Princeton Review examined 656 institutions for this year’s Best Value Colleges list and selected Kalamazoo College among the top 200 colleges and universities.
A Kalamazoo College education provides one of the most outstanding returns on investment, according to the Princeton Review.
The education-services company profiles and recommends K in the 2020 edition of The Best Value Colleges, its annual guide to undergraduate schools.
The Princeton Review examined 656 institutions for this year’s list and selected K among the top 200 colleges and universities, placing it among the top 7 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges. Kalamazoo College is the only Michigan private school and just one of three Michigan schools overall to be honored this year.
Colleges and universities were selected based on surveys of students and administrators. Survey topics included academics, cost, financial aid, career services, graduation rates, student debt and alumni support. The Princeton Review also factored in data from PayScale.com surveys regarding alumni salaries and job satisfaction.
According to the College’s profile at the Princeton Review’s website, student respondents said K “allows students to really develop personal relationships with their peers and professors” and is “a campus run by and for the students.” Students also said the open curriculum means they have more time to explore exactly what they want to learn, rather than being required to take classes in which they have no interest.
Colleges and universities on the list “are truly distinctive and diverse in their programs, size, region and type, yet they are similar in three areas,” Princeton Review Editor-in-Chief Robert Franek said. “Every school we selected offers outstanding academics, generous financial aid and/or relative low cost of attendance, and stellar career services. We recommend them highly to college applicants and parents seeking schools that are academically top-notch and committed to making their programs affordable. These colleges are also standouts at guiding their students to rewarding futures.”
“The flexibility of the K-Plan, our approach to an excellent education in the liberal arts and sciences, allows us to seek out students with a broad array of interests, achievements and experiences,” Interim Dean and Director of Admission Suzanne Lepley said. “We strive to provide an excellent return on investment for all of our students as we help them grow as individuals.”
The Best Value Colleges is one of more than 150 books developed by The Princeton Review and published by Penguin Random House. Others that are resources on this topic include The Best 385 Colleges, which includes Kalamazoo College in 2020.
