Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio
Kelsey Ellis-Dir of Admission
· ‘Celebrates the Arts’
· Liberal arts residential campus
· Springfield area has about 65,000 residents
· 1-hour west of Columbus
· Dayton is 30 minutes away
· 1600 students
· Downtown area is within walking distance
· Top Majors
o Business
o Biology
o Education
· New programs:
o Nursing
o Exercise Science
o Data Science
· Students live on campus all four years
· D3 Athletics
o Brand new indoor athletics facility with athletic field & track
· 11:1 student/faculty ratio
· 18 average class size
· 49% of students are women
· 51% of students are men
· 23% of students are of color
· 99% receive financial aid
· Welcoming community atmosphere;
o The tradition to hold doors open for each other (literally & figuratively)
o Very Involved student body
· Passionate about community service
o Students are required to do 30 hours of service before graduation
· Compass Success Center is strong on campus
· Other Notes of Interest:
o Pandemic Response: making a decision about Fall by July 1
o Committed to returning in the fall; partnering with local officials and they have a health & safety committee that includes alumni in the medical field.
o Committed to less-density housing; single room at the price of a double
o Promoting well-being first- ‘wrap-around’ care – checking in with all students
o Deferral: let students defer a semester or year; scholarships awarded carry with deferrals; deferral is void if you take courses somewhere else
Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio
Stefanie Niles-VP for Enrollment and Communications
· If you remember one thing, remember we are the home of the OWU-
· “Think Big, Go Global (70% off-campus study abroad) and Get Real, internships”
· Over 90 majors
· Almost 30% of students double major
· Top programs
o Zoology
o Business
o Psychology
o Health and Human Kinetics
o Politics and Government
· 25 minutes north of Columbus which provides internships
· Walking distance to downtown Delaware a nice college town(@40,000 residents)
· Bishop Access Program, small with 15 students per year who need extra support. It is a fee-based program.
· Resident renewal project: Smith Hall will be an all-first year. Community; Milligan is an apartment complex for seniors.
· Scholarships
o 97% of students receive need or merit-based awards
o Branch Rickey Recipients: 3.4 GPA, 24 ACT to qualify
· Other Notes of Interest:
o Pandemic Response: meeting regularly with local health officials to prep for a safe return in fall. Serving as a 1st responder site (either for isolation or for their families – considered a safe partner.
o Decision deadline extended to June 1
o Deferral policy: case by case basis; usually allow 10-15 but so far only 3 requests this year
Kenyon College, Gambier, OhioGambier, OhioGambier, OhioGambier, Ohio
Diane Anci, Dean of Admissions
· Kenyon College-saying “We are here on purpose”
· Liberal arts college – a tremendous sense of place and purpose; self-expression important
· Students are encouraged to “Dive In, Use Imagination, and Explore”
· Demands attention from students
· Graduates are revered are writing and communications skills
· Ability to express themselves-drive and character; motto: good writing is good thinking
· Seek data, ask questions, think beyond the period, embrace viewpoints of others
· Good writers need good editors
· 1700 students 50 states and 60+ countries
· California and New York- highest representation; actually Los Angeles & NYC
· 20% of students of color
· 10% international students
· Meet full need financially
· Fully residential campus
· Four Division Academics
o Fine Arts
o Humanities
o Sciences
o Social Sciences
· 90%+ retention rate
· Study abroad: ½ of Junior class goes on study abroad
· 80% of graduates go onto graduate or professional school within 3 years
· Other Notes of Interest:
o Pandemic Response: senior staff meets weekly; largest employer in Knox County where there have only been 20 cases of Covid-19
o Great collaboration to get students back to campus
o When given a refund after school ended at spring break, hundreds of families returned refund for college biggest needs
o Deferrals: usually 15-20/year but at this point only 5 requests; they will be flexible; policy is not to enroll mid-year but might consider for those students who only want a deferral for a semester.
o Holistic review – not a rigid formula; each app is read multiple times; they are not test-optional but may consider it
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio
Manuel Carballo, VP and Dean of Admissions
· “Education for a purpose”
· Traditional small liberal arts college: founded 1833; 1837: went coed
· 2800 students (most represented states NY & CA)
· Oberlin is a town of 8,000
· Academic college with a premiere music conservatory
o Over 500 concerts a year
o 240 other event performances (dance, operas, etc.)
· Humanities
· Social Sciences
· 45 minutes from downtown Cleveland
· 50 minutes from Cleveland airport
· Oberlin sends more students to a Ph.D. program than any other college in the nation.
· First predominately white institution to admit black students
· First institution to go co-ed
· Other Notes of Interest:
o Pandemic response: in constant communication with Marion County; helpful and supportive environment to get students off campus safely; kept 300 students on campus; not just international students – students with tough situations at home
o COVID-specific course for admitted students: 550 admitted students being engaged with faculty and peers from the new Class of 2024 – will continue engagement over summer
o Did not extend SIR date; kept at May 1
o Mid-late June will let students know the plan for Fall
o The holistic admissions process will be flexible with P/F, C/NC HS courses
o Test-optional 3-year optional consideration.
Denison University, Granville, Ohio
Drew Riley-Director of Admission
· Four-year fully residential small liberal arts college
· “Launching Lives & Launching Careers”
· 2300 undergraduates
· Students come from 50 states and 56 countries
· 17% international students
· 16 first gen
· Small New England-style village for this college town
· 25 minutes from Columbus
· 9:1 student/faculty ratio
· Innovation and pragmatism within liberal arts
· Global Education: Data analytics, Health and exercise, global health, commerce, all strong programs – and typically uncommon for a small liberal arts college
· Athletics D3
· Arts -just built a new performing arts center
· 25-35% Greek
· Meets 100% demonstrated need
· Other Notes of Interest:
o Pandemic response: they plan to open for residential education and are scenario planning by looking at a late start, block scheduling with course structures, etc.
o They did not extend deposit deadline; they are full and accepting no more applications
o Deferral requests have to be in by June 1; typically, have been a year; may consider semester requests.
o P/F; C/NC options: they do their best to re-calculate GPA, students will not be penalized and will be considered for scholarships; will give a stronger look at course rigor and personal attributes
o Test-optional – they have been for 10 years now
College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
Scott Friedhoff-VP for Enrollment
· Integrated research within the curriculum
· Every student has to do a major research project at the end of senior year. Each semester students are mentored and taught a class to prepare for research projects with faculty – creating new knowledge; artistic original project.
· Student Symposium of all the projects are presented in the Spring
· It is an activist, socio-political campus
· The City of Wooster is an economically diverse downtown and allows for many internships
· Cleveland clinic operations with int Wooster and high tech too
· Most ‘internationalized’ campus in Ohio
· Homecoming features a Cricket Match & a football game Other Notes of Interest:
· Other Notes of Interest:
o Pandemic response: several hundred stayed on campus. The plan is developing with strategies for on and off-campus students
o Emotional, Health and social activities going on; still have drop-in counseling, club meetings, Instagram live take-overs.
o Food Services created food bags for students for Ramadan
o Extended acceptance deadline to June 1
o Deferrals: let students do what they are most comfortable; they are preparing for the largest spring semester than ever.
o P/F, C/NC: hold harmless the student; work with counselors to understand HS
