ICW thanks you!

Some of the students who attended the Independent Colleges of Washington scholarship luncheon Aug. 13 have a message for everyone who helps support student financial aid in its many forms! Photo: ICW.

It’s hard to believe that college campuses are already beginning to bustle with activity. Freshmen are moving in, orientations start next week, and classes begin on five Independent Colleges of Washington member campuses before the calendar flips over to September.

Many of those students will only be going to college thanks to your help! Generous donors to ICW contributed more than $1 million again last year to support scholarships and other assistance for students. Legislators reaffirmed their support for student aid programs despite terrible budget challenges, though increasing weakness in state revenues may force some reductions in aid soon. Washington taxpayers get a bargain from the state’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities, which confer nearly a quarter of the baccalaureate and higher degrees awarded in the state each year while receiving less than two percent of the higher education budget, which goes to students in the form of financial aid.

Independent colleges contribute academically rigorous liberal arts education to the rich tapestry of choices available to the state’s students, providing opportunities for scholarship that lead to successful careers, fruitful lives, and engaged and informed citizenship.

Last week we had a scholarship luncheon in Seattle to bring together some of the students who benefit from ICW scholarships and the donors who make it happen. It’s rewarding and satisfying to see how big a difference a scholarship can make in a young person’s life, and the plans, hopes, and dreams that are made possible with a little financial assistance. They, and we, thank all who help make it happen.

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We're number one!The U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s best colleges are out today. The rankings are an item of constant debate. We wonder if they really mean anything, if they try to measure the right things, if it’s actually possible to quantify some of those things, and whether students really take the rankings much into account when they’re trying to decide where to go to college.

Love them or hate them, though, most of us can’t avoid looking.

So yes, we looked, and found three Independent Colleges of Washington member institutions among the top 10 regional colleges in the West, and five in the top 15. Two others were ranked within the top tier in that category.

Gonzaga University rates best in the state at number 4, Seattle University is sixth, and Whitworth University ninth. Both ICW members in the national liberal arts college category ranked well, with Whitman College at 38 and University of Puget Sound at 81. In addition, five of our 10 members made the top nine in best value among regional colleges in the West. (Did you guess that Harvard and Williams would top their respective lists… again?)

We’re not sure what it means that PLU (13) is one “notch” higher than Seattle Pacific University (14), but it is good to see so many of our colleges rated so well by this tool, for whatever it’s worth.

Many of our member colleges elect not to even acknowledge the rankings. Of those that do, here’s what they’re saying today:

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Don Bennett named executive director of HECB

by Greg August 13, 2010 HECB

The Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board conducted a nationwide search for a new executive director, and found its man just down the hall. The board has hired Don Bennett, who has been the interim ED since April, to the position. Bennett has been with the HEC Board for nearly 3½ years. He started in March [...]

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Governor sharpens budget ax

by Greg August 12, 2010 budget

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today sharpened her budget ax in the wake of yesterday’s news that state revenue collections were lower than expected over the last month, and the increasing likelihood that the official revenue forecast in September will bring more bad news. The governor is asking state agency directors to be ready to cut [...]

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States spending more on student aid, but can’t keep up

by Greg August 4, 2010 budget

Catching up on reading after being out of the office at a workshop, I spotted this article published last week by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico invested $10.3 billion in student financial aid for 2008-09, an increase of about 2.7 percent over the previous year, [...]

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Work study squeeze

by Greg July 20, 2010 advocacy

Finances will be a little tighter this fall for some students who rely on work-study jobs to help pay for their college education. According to a story posted today on the U.S. News website, the number of federally funded work-study jobs will drop by about 162,000, to a total of 768,000 for the upcoming academic [...]

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McCulloh named president at Gonzaga

by Greg July 16, 2010 Gonzaga University

The Gonzaga University Board of Trustees today elected Dr. Thayne M. McCulloh as Gonzaga’s 26th president, succeeding Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. McCulloh has served as interim president since Rev. Spitzer’s departure in July 2009. “Over the past two years we have looked at a number of potential candidates,” said John Luger, chair of the [...]

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Welcome new board members

by Greg July 6, 2010 Heritage University

The Board of Directors of Independent Colleges of Washington welcomes five new members as we kick off a new fiscal year. Two of our 10 member institutions have new presidents, who are ex officio members of the board, and three other new board members were elected. We have written about the new presidents already. Beck [...]

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You look like a million bucks!

by Greg July 1, 2010 Fundraising

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Generous donors to Independent Colleges of Washington this year again gave more than $1 million to provide opportunity, choice, and success for our students through scholarships and other support. It was close. As the clock ticked down on our fiscal year yesterday, the tally came in: We were at [...]

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Tuition hikes small, financial aid budgets bigger at private colleges

by Greg June 29, 2010 college cost

Published tuition and fees at private, nonprofit colleges and universities is increasing an average of 4.5 percent for the 2010-11 academic year, while private colleges are increasing institutional student aid by an average of 6.8 percent, according to the final results of a membership survey conducted by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities [...]

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