The Class of 2011 checked in with 468 first-years—one student in 10 from among the record 4,679 applicants last year. They arrived August 28 from 33 states and 31 countries. Ten percent are international students, 16 percent self-identify with a minority heritage, and more than 30 are first-generation college students. Before arriving at Colby different members of the class studied one of the largest great blue heron rookeries in Massachusetts, presented at a conference on nuclear energy and technology prospects in Russia, had a poster presentation on asthma at the seventh Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology in Montreal, climbed Kilimanjaro, and chased severe storms in Texas. See a
statistical profile of the Class of '11.
At the official Matriculation Convocation on September 4, President William D. Adams talked to first-year students about the College’s hopes and expectations for the Class of 2011: "A sense of intellectual empowerment, a sense of community, and a sense of place." A transcript of the president's address is online, or listen to Dean of Admissions Parker Beverage describe the new class and to Adams's address (President at the Podium podcast).
Panels of professors and alumni also got a chance to offer advice to freshmen, before they left campus on their four-day COOT trips. "Step prodigiously," advised Lee Family Professor of English Cedric Bryant, quoting Emily Dickinson. "Become an expert in something," said Merrill Associate Professor of Biology Andrea Tilden. And, from Assistant Professor Economics Phil Brown: "When you're at Colby, work hard and take risks. When you're not . . . make a point of going to the North Street Dairy Cone . . . and climb Mt. Katahdin at least once before you graduate." See highlights or the full video of both orientation panels online.
Returning students moved right into the Pulver Pavilion, the brand-new addition to Cotter Union designed as "a living room for the students." The impressive, high-ceiling pavilion is off to a great start fulfilling its mission as the place for students to meet and greet—the venue to see and be seen—with the new Joseph Family Spa, a new coffee shop for Starbucks and smoothies, a big-screen TV lounge, and the student post office all bustling. See more about the new space online.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former U.S. counter-terrorism advisor Richard Clarke, and chief New York Times foreign correspondent John Burns are among guests who will speak on campus this fall in programs sponsored by Colby's Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. Clarke, who served on the National Security Council and became a leading critic of the Bush Administration's handling of terrorist threats, delivers the annual Goldfarb Lecture September 23. Burns, who just ended a five-year stint as the Times Baghdad bureau chief, will receive the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for courageous journalism September 30. Albright will give the third annual Senator George Mitchell Distinguished International Lecture October 25. See more online.
Colby joined 18 peer institutions in an effort to provide clear institutional information and data to prospective students and to the public, and they all agreed not to promote their place in rankings such as U.S. News & World Report. A format for providing easy-to-understand institutional information on the colleges' Web sites is being developed. The statement, signed by President William Adams and 18 other college presidents, is online. Adams wrote more extensively about ratings a year ago.
Family Homecoming Weekend is just around the bend—October 12-14—and a full schedule is planned to keep families busy. Along with the usual library tower tours, varsity sports, student musical and theatrical performances, and academic department receptions, there will be a panel discussion for first-year students and their families, a reception with President William Adams for students and families, a presentation on a Jan Plan in India, a panel discussion about off-campus study opportunities, and a performance of "Forbidden Broadway"—a spoof of Broadway's biggest shows from the past 40 years. Register now.
Dan Polk '95 is a founder of Daraja Academy, a secondary boarding school in Kenya about four hours north of Nairobi. Dan is establishing the school's outreach—its eco-tourism, volunteer, and high school and college exchange programs—and is working on establishing a volunteer program called "Amigos de la Africa," which will be associated with the long-running Amigos de las Americas and will send youth volunteers to African countries. See more on the school's Web site.
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