CONTACT:
Ron Nief
608/363-2137
[email protected]
Beloit, Wis.--For the second time in as many years, a unique group of American liberal arts colleges is hitting the road to 10 cities across the country to collectively deliver a special message to prospective students and their families.
The Colleges That Change Lives Tour includes 34 small, residential liberal arts colleges from every region of the country. What they have in common, besides their size and commitment to the liberal arts, is their appearance in a 1996 book by Loren Pope entitled Colleges That Change Lives (Penguin Books).
Pope, former education journalist, educator, and director of the College Placement Bureau, utilized more than four decades of experience in higher education in identifying those schools that develop the qualities in students that are needed "to see opportunities in a changing world and to be smart and resourceful enough to act on them." He looked for colleges that "develop people who can land on their feet--whether they are strong, intellectual students, or those needing tender loving care--because they encourage a strong sense of community and interaction among students and teachers."
Last year, 31 colleges visited eight communities to show students that anyone, regardless of previous academic accomplishment, can multiply their talents, raise their trajectories, impart confidence and become more effective, better people. The tour was one of the most successful that many of the colleges had experienced. For many schools, it was the first time they had toured with this large a group under a central theme. The rooms reserved for last year's tour were overwhelmed by the number of visitors, requiring coordinators to increase the size of the facilities for this year's stops. The tour has increased to 34 of the 40 schools in the book and the group will visit 10 cities from Seattle to Boston. The tour is divided into two phases. The West Coast portion begins August 1 in San Francisco and will visit Los Angeles (August 2), Portland (August 3), Seattle (August 4), and Denver (August 5).
The East coast tour starts September 12 in Chicago and will move to Boston on Sept.13, New York (Sept. 14), Washington, D.C. area (Sept. 15), and will conclude in Atlanta (Sept. 16). The 34 colleges on the tour, which is organized by Beloit College, are:
Allegheny College -- Meadville, Pa.
Antioch College -- Yellow Springs, Ohio
Austin College -- Sherman, Texas
Beloit College -- Beloit, Wis.
Birmingham-Southern College -- Birmingham, Ala.
Centre College of Kentucky -- Danville, Ky.
Clark University -- Worcester, Mass.
College of Wooster -- Wooster, Ohio
Cornell College -- Mount Vernon, Iowa
Denison University -- Granville, Ohio
Earlham College -- Richmond, Ind.
Eckerd College -- St. Petersburg, Fla.
Goucher College -- Towson, Md.
Guilford College -- Greensboro, N.C.
Hampshire College -- Amherst, Mass.
Hendrix College -- Conway, Ark.
Hiram College -- Hiram, Ohio
Hope College -- Holland, Mich.
Juniata College -- Huntingdon, Pa.
Kalamazoo College -- Kalamazoo, Mich.
Knox College -- Galesburg, Ill.
Lawrence University -- Appleton, Wis.
Marlboro College -- Marlboro, Vt.
Millsaps College -- Jackson, Miss.
Ohio Wesleyan University -- Delaware, Ohio
Rhodes College -- Memphis, Tenn.
Southwestern University -- Georgetown, Texas
St. John's College, Md. -- Annapolis, Md.
St. John's College, N.M. -- Santa Fe, N.M.
St. Olaf College -- Northfield, Minn.
The Evergreen State College -- Olympia, Wash.
Western Maryland College -- Westminster, Md.
Wheaton College -- Wheaton, Ill.
Whitman College -- Walla Walla, Wash.
Each stop on the Colleges That Change Lives Tour will include a gathering for college counselors in the region, an hour-long panel session where Loren Pope and college representatives will discuss what makes these colleges unusual, and a two-hour college fair at which students and parents can get information about specific schools. There is no charge, and sessions are open to everyone.
Invitations and information have been sent to high schools and counselors in each region. Students and families interested in details should contact their local high schools or any of the colleges on the tour, or may call the coordinating office at Beloit College at 1-608-363-2549.
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