July 16, 2008
Meet the Intern - Elliott Allen
To begin, my name is Elliott Allen, and I will be a junior at Wabash College this coming Fall Semester. I live in the Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ) Fraternity, and I am currently the Social Chair and Alumni Relations Chair within in my fraternity. While searching for a college, I wanted to find a college that treated its students as unique individuals and thinkers in their own right. Wabash College fell in my lap, and as I have come to find out, the learning that I am experiencing at this unique place has fundamentally changed who I am.
I am proud to say that I feel like am becoming a mature man, and that I have found an outlet to express my intellectual curiosities and explore my abilities as a creative writer. As a result, I have become more involved on this campus by joining groups such as the Sphinx club, Alpha Phi Omega, Eta Sigma Phi, and the Creative Writer’s Club of Wabash. Each these clubs provides a unique experience that can contribute to overall learning. That is my history so far, and I feel that I will grow stronger as a member of my fraternity, as a contributor to my campus organizations, and as a Wabash man.
That being said, my goals for this summer in the Admission’s Office are really up in the air at this point, but I still have my reasons for working in the office this summer. First, I have always helped, when I could, the college with recruiting students to Wabash College. In my hometown, Evansville IN, I attend Wabash events that are aimed at recruiting the next class of Wabash Men. This initially got me interested in the admissions process at the College, and I thought a summer position in the office would provide me with an opportunity to educate prospective students on what a Wabash education can do for them. But another reason for my undertaking in this position this summer is the new experience that it provides. As a writer, I like to expose myself to as many experiences as possible to generate ideas and thoughts, and I thought working in the office this summer would be an excellent opportunity. So far, I have learned a lot about the admissions process, and each day is an exciting challenge that I embrace and enjoy.
Posted by timmonsc at 02:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 17, 2008
Boys State -UPDATED
For several years, the Admissions Office has focused time and resources toward our partnership with Hoosier Boys State. The college fair held during the event has been a regular stop for our staff, but more recently, staff members have served as counselors spending the entire week with the 600 Boys State delegates from across the state. Marty Schap and Mike Owens drew the assignment this year and report they're having a great time.
Our success with the Hoosier Boys State program prompted our staff to look for opportunities to partner with programs in other states. Since roughly ten percent of each entering class were Boys State delegates, it's really a no-brainer. Our alumni volunteers have proven to be key players in expanding our coverage. In addition to Indiana, Wabash men will represent the College at Boys State programs in Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Marc Welch '99 and I will cover the Wisconsin and Ohio fairs, respectively. Thanks to the following volunteers who have/will help with this year's Boys State programs.
Dave Ware '66 - Colorado
Jim Olberding H'99 - Iowa
Mike Dill '71 - Oklahoma
Jason Pavey '99 - Virginia
Eriks Janelsins '02 - West Virginia
Mike Owens reported in Wednesday morning, "Things are still going well here. I saw your blog write up on Boys State. Wabash has a pretty strong presence here. Not sure if you knew, but Scott Himsel '95 ended up being the keynote speaker just after registration and mentioned Wabash on a couple of occasions. And, everyone actually had the chance to sit in on an actual supreme court case yesterday (apparently they've done it for the past couple of years). They brought the case right to Boys State to let the young men see how cases are carried out and ask questions afterward. And, who else would be arguing for the state but the solicitor general, Tom Fisher '91."
Mike also shared that Joey Olsen '05 is also serving as a counselor this year. It's Joey's second year with Boys State.
Posted by timmonsc at 09:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 06, 2008
Meet the Intern - Nate Powell
I’m a psychology major with a religion minor. I am originally from Merrillville, IN (located in what is better known as “The Region”) I am a rising senior member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, as well as the Sphinx Club. I am the assistant offensive line coach for the Wabash football team. I am also a founding member of the Wabash College Lacrosse Club, playing as a defender. For the last three summers I worked as a lifeguard at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville. I decided to change it up this year to get a different experience. After Wabash, I plan to pursue a career in coaching football at the collegiate level. Hopefully my experiences with our great Football Team and our awesome Admissions Staff will prepare me for that next step in my life.
Posted by timmonsc at 08:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 29, 2008
Still Working Hard for Wabash
He's no longer on the payroll, but he's still working hard for Wabash. Rudy Cope worked six years with our office before leaving last year to become the Director of College Placement at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, TN.
Here's a photo of Rudy and Kris Devineni, Wabash Class of 2012 taken after Lausanne's Graduation. Thanks for introducing us to Kris and keep up the good work.
Posted by timmonsc at 02:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 12, 2008
Wabash and the CTCL Tour Hitting the East Coast
Chip Timmons - The first of four Colleges That Change Lives college fair tours begins this Saturday and Wabash will be represented at this tour.
I would encourage any students in grades 9-11 to attend the event in their area. These fairs offer an opportunity to learn more the schools featured in the book, but given the small number of colleges (less than 40), students and families have more time to visit with representatives than they would at a larger college fair.
"The Northeast Tour" runs May 17-22. Locations and times are listed below.
May 17
Bethesda, MD
12:00-2:00 PM
Marriott Bethesda North/Conf. Center
5701 Marinelli Road
Bethesda, MD 20852
May 18
McLean, VA
3:00-5:00 PM
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner
7920 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22102
May 19
Philadelphia, PA
7:00-9:00 PM
Crowne Plaza Valley Forge
260 Mall Boulevard
King of Prussia, PA
May 20
New York, NY
7:00-9:00 PM
New York's Hotel Pennsylvania
401 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
May 21
New York/Westchester Area
7:00-9:00 PM
Hilton Rye Town
699 Westchester Avenue
Rye Brook, NY 10573
May 22
Boston, MA
7:00-9:00 PM
Hynes Convention Center
900 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02115
Posted by timmonsc at 10:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 06, 2008
Wabash Recognized by Forbes
Chip Timmons - An article in the current edition of Forbes highlights the Center for College Affordability & Productivity (CCAP) college rankings. The CCAP is a two-year-old research organization in Washington, D.C. that in their words "evaluates colleges on results".
The author, Richard Vedder, isn't a big fan of the more popular U.S. News and World Report rankings saying "I think the U.S. News rankings ought to get a D. They're roughly equivalent to evaluating a chef based on the ingredients he or she uses." I heard Dr. Vedder speak at a conference in Minneapolis two years ago and remember leaving his talk impressed. He did not overwhelm his audience with slides and data. Instead, he reminded us of the core mission of higher education and warned against schools funneling dollars into programs that are not geared toward the students, especially the undergraduate students.
In my view, it seems more and more students and families are becoming disenchanted with the well-known college rankings and opting for more results-driven guidebooks like Colleges That Change Lives. I've heard Loren Pope, the author of College That Change Lives, use the analogy of a hospital when describing how one view the college search. Do you evaluate a hospital based upon how the patients are feeling when they are admitted or when they are released? I'm sure Loren put this more eloquently, but the point is, you should look at colleges the same way.
Whether you employ analogies with chefs or hospitals, what happens to students during their four years on campus and the success that follows best measures the quality of the institution.
Posted by timmonsc at 10:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 30, 2008
Damon Howell '95 - Some Little Giant
Chip Timmons - On Friday, the Admissions Office hosted a going away party for Damon Howell. After 10 years with the College, Damon has found another calling. Now Pastor Howell, Damon will serve as the Equipping Pastor at Jesus the Messiah Church in Indianapolis where he will oversee office administration and work with other ministry leaders.
Damon joined our staff in the summer of 1998 and he's going to be missed by many including the scores of students (and their parents) that he recruited to Wabash. During his tenure, Damon's territory produced 1521 applications and 364 students. Wow!
Although we spent three years on campus together as students, Damon and I didn't get to know one other that well. All of that changed when he joined the team especially given the fact that he and I both went through life-changing experiences during these 10 years. We both got married, lost loved ones, started families (Damon has two daughters and I have two sons), and helped bring in some of the largest classes in the history of this institution. It's also worth noting we helped win a handful of intramural softball titles and one Crawfordsville Park and Rec crown.
I have no doubt Damon will excel in this new role. The congregation at Jesus the Messiah Church will be better with Damon as part of their community just as Wabash was better while Damon was a part of ours.
Posted by timmonsc at 03:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
