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.
The education services company selects its list from the nation’s 2,600 four-year institutions based on data it collects from administrators about their academic offerings and surveys of students who rate and report on their experiences.
Students lauded K through surveys as a place where they develop personal relationships with their peers and faculty at a campus run by and for the students. In addition, students can quickly find their niche upon arriving thanks to a small-school environment where “everyone is always engaged in some kind of work they truly care about,” the book says.
The Best 390 Colleges does not provide individual rankings for the schools featured, but compliments K for its offerings.
The Princeton Review is rating Kalamazoo College among the best in the country in the book “The Best 390 Colleges.”
“We salute Kalamazoo College for its outstanding academics, and many other impressive offerings,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief and lead author of The Best 390 Colleges. “We recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.”
The College is also listed among Princeton Review’s Best Midwest Colleges and Best Value Colleges.
The printed publication is now available through the Penguin Random House website. K’s profile is available for free online along with the list of the 390 top schools.
Kalamazoo College Athletics has received a $100,000 gift from Gene ’76 and Joann Bissell to support the relaunching of men’s and women’s track and field at the College.
The couple are making the gift in memory of Joann Bissell’s father, George Stewart, an avid cross country and track and field fan.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Bissells for helping us turn our dream to restart track and field into a reality,” said Director of Athletics Jamie Zorbo ’00. “This program will enhance our ability to recruit student-athletes to K while providing exciting new opportunities for our current student-athletes.”
Gene Bissell was a political science major at K who went on to earn his MBA from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He retired as president and CEO of AmeriGas Propane, Inc. and has served in many capacities on public company and nonprofit boards. Bissell has been a lifelong supporter of Kalamazoo College, both philanthropically and as a Trustee of the College, having served as a member of the Board from 2003–19. He currently serves as a member of the leadership committee for the Brighter Light Campaign, which will conclude this fall.
Gene ’76 and Joann Bissell are supporting the relaunching of men’s and women’s track and field at Kalamazoo College through a $100,000 gift.
“We are thrilled that K is bringing back track and field,” said Bissell. “We also appreciate the opportunity to honor Joann’s father with a contribution to a sport he loved.”
Bissell’s father-in-law, George Stewart, developed his love for track and field as a quarter-miler in high school and as a devotee of the heroes of this sport as they competed in New York, Penn Relays and elsewhere. He passed this love along to many of his children and grandchildren, who have competed and coached at the scholastic, collegiate and open level, and who are grateful for this opportunity to continue his legacy of support to Kalamazoo College students.
Track and field will begin in the 2025–26 academic year and will be led by current cross country coach Kyle Morrison. The program will bring K’s total number of varsity athletics teams to 22.
Nicholas Gann ’12 will deliver the keynote at Kalamazoo College’s 2024 Convocation on Thursday, September 12, at 3 p.m. on the Quad.
Throughout jobs as wide-ranging as substitute teacher in Detroit, laborer at a maraschino cherry manufacturing facility, political researcher, roofer, public relations, and tourism manager, and in environments as different as the forests of northern Michigan, the big sky of Montana, the hustle and bustle of Chicago, and the wild west of Wyoming, Gann has recognized how his liberal arts education at K prepared him by developing an open mind, critical thinking skills, and a deep curiosity.
Gann graduated from K with a B.A. in political science and has worked in Montana with Project Vote Smart, a non-partisan candidate research nonprofit; in Chicago with ASGK Public Strategies (later Kivvit, now Avoq), including work on projects for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Fortune 500 companies; and as strategic partnerships manager for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, where he organized more than a dozen state and federal agencies to develop a shared responsible recreation campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, and served as part of the larger agency efforts led by the executive director to help Wyoming weather the economic and tourism effects better than many other states.
Since 2022, Gann has worked as a communications director for Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit dedicated to conservation of freshwater streams, rivers and associated habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species and people. The organization’s mission is “to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.”
Convocation marks the start of the academic year and formally welcomes the matriculating class of 2028 into the Kalamazoo College community. President Jorge G. Gonzalez, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students J. Malcolm Smith, Provost Danette Ifert Johnson, Director of Admission Shannon Milan, Chaplain Elizabeth Candido, the Convocation speaker, faculty, staff and President’s Student Ambassadors will welcome students and their families. All students, families, faculty and staff are invited to attend in person or via livestream.
Nicholas Gann hikes in the Snowy Range of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, near Centennial, Wyoming, October 15, 2021. Gann ’12 will deliver the keynote at Convocation on Thursday, September 12, at 3 p.m. on the Quad. Photo by David Lienemann.
College Raptor—a web-based organization dedicated to helping students and families find their best-fit institution of higher education—has chosen Kalamazoo College as one of the top 25 schools in the Midwest regardless of size or public/private status.
The list of schools, which places K at No. 23 for 2025, encompasses institutions from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. In making its selections this year, College Raptor considered graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, retention rate, selectivity and other metrics. Its full methodology is available online.
In a separate ranking last year, College Raptor also rated K as one of 15 Hidden Gems in the Great Lakes region as the College receives fewer than 5,000 applications a year while sustaining a student population of fewer than 7,000.
“Since 2015, we’ve carefully assembled our lists each year to highlight the best schools in different categories to help families get started in the discovery process,” College Raptor CEO Bill Staib said. “K has shown dedication to academic excellence. We are proud to highlight them.”
College Raptor has named Kalamazoo College among the Top 25 schools in the Great Lakes Region for 2025.
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: A Guide to What America’s Top Schools Can Do for You factors cost, career services offerings and return on investment along with 75 key statistics about each institution. It provides K with praise and high marks for its small class sizes, attractive career services offerings, outstanding professional outcomes, high graduation rates, international experiences, and need-based and merit-based financial aid packages.
“The school’s ascendance into the national spotlight can be traced to 1996 when the school was included in Loren Pope’s popular book, Colleges That Change Lives,” it says. “This is, indeed, an institution of higher learning that grants undergrads a personalized and bountiful four years of education. If the cost fits into your plan, then it is absolutely worth your money.”
K is the only private school in Michigan featured in Colleges Worthy Your Money, which is available now at bookstores and online. Learn more about the book at the College Transitions blog.
Kalamazoo College is one of 200 institutions of higher education featured in “Colleges Worth Your Money: A Guide to What America’s Top Schools Can Do for You.”
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. Cross country coach Kyle Morrison will also serve as the head coach of track and field.
“Reinstating the track and field program after almost 45 years of absence feels like a huge accomplishment in itself, but this is just the start of a very exciting time for Kalamazoo College cross country and track and field, as well as the athletics department as a whole,” Morrison said.
Director of Athletics Jamie Zorbo ’00 said K will hire an additional athletic trainer and an assistant coach, but there are no plans to build a track or other facilities to support the sport. K will rent Western Michigan University facilities for practices, and meets will take place at other schools. If the College would ever host an event, it would rent facilities from WMU or possibly a high school such as Kalamazoo Christian.
Morrison and Zorbo expect the new sport to attract new students to K.
“There are several instances each year where students have been interested in coming to Kalamazoo College and participating in one particular sport and track and field,” Zorbo said. “They typically have gone elsewhere because we haven’t offered track and field for many years. We feel there’s an opportunity to bring in those students and students who want to compete solely in track and field as well.”
Morrison said some recruiting work has already started.
Men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field will bring Kalamazoo College’s total number of varsity athletics teams to 22 beginning in 2025–26.
“The buzz of the program’s reinstatement is growing among high school coaches in the Midwest,” he said. “We would typically bring juniors to campus in the late spring after watching them at indoor and outdoor competitions, and then build interaction throughout their senior years with additional visits and the application process at the beginning of their senior year. We have five C’s that we want to see in our prospective student-athletes: character, communication, commitment, consistency and common-sense decision making. We’ve grown the roster for cross country from nine to 45 the last four years and I think we will have great success with a full track and field coaching staff and strong momentum.”
Men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field will bring K’s total number of varsity athletics teams to 22 along with men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis, in addition to baseball and football for men, and volleyball and softball for women.
“I’m excited for Coach Morrison because this is something he’s been very passionate about bringing back to Kalamazoo College,” Zorbo said. “He’s built a strong cross country program that continues to get better. I’m excited to see him spearhead the revival of the track and field program at Kalamazoo College. I believe it will enhance our athletic department while elevating the recruitment of student-athletes for all programs.”
Morrison thanks the task force that vetted the proposal for track and field over the past year and a half including Sports Information Director Steve Wideen, then-Director of Admission and current Director of Alumni Engagement Suzanne Lepley, Dow Distinguished Professor in the Natural Sciences in the Department of Physics Jan Tobochnik, Associate Vice President for Development Andy Miller ’99 and Director of Gender Equity Tanya Jachimiak, along with Zorbo, Provost Danette Johnson and President Jorge G. Gonzalez for their support and belief in the vision.
“Getting to this point took some considerable time and effort,” Morrison said. “When I came to K five years ago, I talked about this being a big opportunity for K athletics and the College as a whole. I believe that this will bring several more students to campus each year. It is not uncommon for Division III schools to attract multiple-sport student-athletes and track and field is another great reason my colleagues and I can provide students to come to K. I want to bring student-athletes who excel in the classroom and compete at the highest level in their events.”
A resource that the USA Today calls “the best college guide you can buy” again profiles Kalamazoo College among more than 300 of the best and most interesting colleges in the U.S., Canada and the UK.
The 2025 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges credits K for a LandSea preorientation program that provides incoming students with confidence. Then, the College’s ingenious K-Plan offers a curriculum path with study abroad, an excellent career-development program, and independent faculty-guided research.
Students interviewed for the book—compiled by former New York Times Education Editor Edward B. Fiske—praised K for its supportive and guiding faculty, service-learning courses, student-led cocurricular activities, civic engagement and study abroad that is done so well “it seems ridiculous not to take advantage of the opportunity.”
“K’s campus is always buzzing with social activities like movies, concerts, speakers and other events,” the book notes. It adds that students also look forward to Monte Carlo Night, when the Hicks Student Center is transformed into a casino with faculty and staff serving as dealers, and the Day of Gracious Living when, without prior notice, classes are called off for the day and students can choose to spend a day on the beach, work on volunteer projects or relax on campus.
And, for a more unique lens on the college search, Cool Stuff at Small Colleges author Peter Pitts—a retired admissions professional from Monmouth College—says K is a great choice for students who want the feeling of a small college and the many benefits of being near a large university considering its location near Western Michigan University.
“Not a major or a minor,” the book says. “Not even a certificate or an emphasis. But Jedi, Sith and Mandalorians: Religion and Star Wars, a religion class at Kalamazoo College, might just influence a student to major or minor in religion. If nothing else, it says a lot about how cool the faculty are in the religion department at Kalamazoo.”
The “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” compiled by former New York Times Education Editor Edward B. Fiske, is one of two recently released college guides to feature K.
“Cool Stuff at Small Colleges” is one of two recently released college guides to feature K.
“School of Rock: The Musical” follows actor David B. Friedman, portraying Dewey Finn, a failed rock star who decides to earn money by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. At the school, he turns a class of bright and well-accomplished students into a rock band, attempting to get them into a battle of the bands without headmistress Rosalie Mullins, played by Broadway actress Hannah Elless, or their parents finding out.
Kalamazoo College’s Festival Playhouse offers Farmers Alley Theatre a bigger venue between stage space and audience capacity along with a unique stage ground plan
School of Rock boasts a cast of 30 including 16 amazingly talented kids
Are you ready to rock? We are! Farmers Alley Theatre is back on campus for Schoolof Rock: The Musical, its second show of the summer at Kalamazoo College’s Festival Playhouse.
Based on the film starring Jack Black, the musical follows actor David B. Friedman, portraying Dewey Finn, a failed rock star who decides to earn money by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. At the school, he turns a class of bright and well-accomplished students into a rock band, attempting to get them into a battle of the bands without headmistress Rosalie Mullins, played by Broadway actress Hannah Elless, or their parents finding out.
Performing School of Rock at K offers Farmers Alley Theatre a bigger venue between stage space and audience capacity along with a unique stage ground plan that Director Richard Roland loves.
“The thrust stage with all of its different angles and levels allows for some very creative staging, which I am very interested in, particularly for a piece that was conceived and originally produced for a proscenium stage,” Roland said. “Because we don’t have the automation and extravagant technical capabilities of a Broadway theatre, I have to rely on my imagination and the imagination and creativity of my team and actors to affect the transitions from scene to scene. It’s a challenge for sure, but one definitely worth meeting head on. It’s very satisfying to me when I figure out how a multi-location show works on a stage not built to accommodate giant turntables, hydraulics and massive drops. That being said, scenic designer Dan Guyette has provided rolling wagons and slip stages to facilitate transitions on the set which is a much-needed help in a show of this size.”
Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17–Saturday, July 20, and Thursday, July 25–Saturday, July 27, with matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 21, and Sunday, July 28
Teacher Dewey Finn—desperately stealing the identity of his roommate as a substitute teacher just to make ends meet—teaches his students some unconventional yet valuable life lessons by making them realize they live under too many rules.
Broadway actress Hannah Elless portrays headmistress Rosalie Mullins in “School of Rock.”
School of Rock boasts a cast of 30 including 16 amazingly talented kids—four of whom play their own drums, bass, guitar and keyboard—although the biggest draw might be the story as it works in concert with the music. Roland said the plot embraces an age-old storyline of the mentor who brings people to a new awareness of themselves, so audiences will recognize its similarities to musicals such as The Sound of Music and The Music Man.
“As one of the actors in the show put it the other day, the movie is a Jack Black vehicle and focuses, literally and figuratively, on him,” Roland said. “Everyone around him is mostly peripheral. The musical goes a bit further by enlarging the world around Dewey, making the kids as much of the center of the show as he is. What musicals do is let you into the characters’ minds through song, digging a little deeper into their psyches, revealing hopes and fears.”
The character Finn—desperately stealing the identity of his roommate as a substitute teacher just to make ends meet—teaches his students some unconventional yet valuable life lessons by making them realize they live under too many rules, constraints and over-scheduled expectations.
“In breaking down those conventions, the students find gifts within themselves they were previously unaware of,” Roland said. “They grow in talent and confidence. Even Dewey, the initially self-serving freeloader, has an awakening in that he realizes he has much to give when it comes to music. It’s a very heartwarming story with a great score by Andrew Lloyd Webber who, as some may remember, started out with the classic rock ‘n’ roll musical Jesus Christ Superstar. He goes back to his rock roots with School of Rock and leaves you singing along.”
Four of the kid actors play their own drums, bass, guitar and keyboard in “School of Rock.”
“School of Rock embraces an age-old storyline of the mentor who brings people to a new awareness of themselves.
School of Rock performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17–Saturday, July 20, and Thursday, July 25–Saturday, July 27, with matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 21, and Sunday, July 28. Tickets for the July 17 preview performance are $25. Tickets for the other shows start at $45 with $10 in-person rush tickets offered for all performances starting one hour prior to curtain. The July 21 show includes American Sign Language interpretation. Tickets are available online at farmersalleytheatre.com or by calling the box office at 269.343.2727. The show contains some adult language, rock-associated themes and tweenage rebellion. It is recommended for ages 10 and up.
“I’m just very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with the Farmers Alley team, all the new designers and, of course, the cast of extremely talented actors of Kalamazoo, Chicago and New York,” Roland said. “It’s a joy to watch them create moments in rehearsals: funny, touching, fierce, hopeful. I’m thrilled that this is the first Andrew Lloyd Webber musical I get to direct.”
Four members of Kalamazoo College’s class of 2024 have been selected for prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2024-25 academic year.
Julia Holt, of Owatonna, Minnesota; Teresa Lucas, of Mattawan, Michigan; Ally Noel, of Midland, Michigan; and Danielle Treyger, of West Bloomfield, Michigan; are among the students, artists and young professionals who will represent the U.S. in about 140 countries for one academic year. Chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, these students and recent alumni will participate in the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program, which places grantees in primary and secondary schools or universities overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms.
Since its inception in 1946, Fulbright has provided more than 400,000 participants with opportunities to exchange ideas and contribute to solutions to shared international concerns. The program is funded by an annual appropriation from Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and managed through the U.S. Department of State.
For the last five consecutive years, K has been named a Top Producing Institution for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Here’s what K’s representatives plan to do abroad.
Julia Holt
Holt was a studio art major and Chinese minor who studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea, in her time at K. Beginning in August, she will teach English in Taiwan for her Fulbright award.
“Since I had such a great experience studying abroad as an undergraduate, I wanted to travel again and continue making new cross-cultural conversation,” Holt said. “I also wanted to apply the Chinese language skills I learned at K. I am so excited to be an ETA in Taiwan because I hope to utilize not only my Mandarin, but also my artistic and creative skills while teaching. I’m curious to learn how art and language work together as I assist in the classroom. In the future, I can see myself building on my Fulbright with my aspiring career goal of working in exhibit or scenic design, nurturing visual storytelling and intercultural education.”
Julia Holt ’24
Teresa Lucas
Lucas, who was a German and psychology double major at K, will spend 10 months in Waltrop, Germany. She had spent six months on study abroad in Erlangen, Germany, where she completed an Integrative Cultural Research Project (ICRP) at a middle school where she fell in love with teaching.
“With the long-term goal of working in education, I hope to gain further knowledge on teaching strategies in international language classrooms,” Lucas said. “I also look forward to continuing to improve my German language skills and exploring the parts of the country I have not yet seen.”
Teresa Lucas ’24
Ally Noel
Noel was a double major in anthropology/sociology and English at K. She will travel to Savannakhet, Laos, for 11 months to fulfill her Fulbright service at Savannakhet High School.
Noel decided not to study abroad as an undergrad, opting instead to work as a substitute teacher through Kalamazoo Public Schools and as a youth development coach in an afterschool program through Communities in Schools. Fulbright, however, represents an opportunity to learn abroad about global education systems, which are constantly growing, changing and adapting.
“In order to be the teacher that I strive to be one day—one who is receptive, sensitive and present inside and outside the classroom—I knew pursuing an immersive international experience as an ETA was necessary,” Noel said. “My goals while abroad are to expand my understanding of inclusive and equitable pedagogical approaches in an international context while participating and engaging in meaningful cultural exchange.”
Ally Noel ’24
Danielle Treyger
Treyger was a business and Spanish double major at K. She studied abroad in Cáceres, Spain, where she tutored children of all ages in English. She also volunteered at a local elementary school and at a nonprofit organization where she taught refugees to speak English. For about 10 months, Treyger will return to Spain through Fulbright to build relationships with students and teachers in a multilingual setting and make a difference in the community.
“I developed a passion for teaching and working in a multilingual setting in Spain,” Treyger said. “After that, I just knew that my future was there. I felt like it was the most practical next step for me, as I would like to pursue a career that involves teaching, languages, traveling and immersing myself in different cultures. I feel very grateful and lucky to have received this prestigious opportunity.”
For the third year in a row, the Princeton Review—an education services organization and rankings resource—has named Kalamazoo College one of the nation’s best institutions for students seeking a top-notch education at an affordable price.
For its annual Best Value Colleges list, the Princeton Review evaluated 650 public and private institutions across the country through their academic offerings, costs, financial aid, career services, graduation rates and student debt while examining student surveys and PayScale.com reviews of alumni salaries. Although schools are not ranked individually, K was chosen among the top 209 for value based on 40 data points that calculate return on investment (ROI) ratings. The Princeton Review gave K an ROI score of 90 out of 99 for 2024, making the College just one of four Michigan schools recognized as a best value.
In K’s profile, the Princeton Review says the College brings a personalized approach to education through a flexible, open curriculum featuring real-world experience, service learning, study abroad and an independent senior-year project. Student surveys noted that the alumni network is easy to contact and willing to help, providing a culture of giving back to the school and supporting each other. Another student added that the College’s small-school environment helps everyone find a chance to get involved in issues they care about and the community.
The Princeton Review evaluated 650 public and private institutions from across the country and named 209 of them, including Kalamazoo College, to its Best Value Colleges list.
“The schools we chose as our Best Value Colleges for 2024 are a select group: they comprise only about 8% of the nation’s four-year undergraduate institutions,” Princeton Review Editor-in-Chief Rob Franek said. “We commend their administrators, faculties, staff and alumni for all they are doing to educate their students and guide them to success in their careers. These colleges are also exceptional for the generous amount of financial aid they award to students with need and their comparatively low cost of attendance.”
