DPU ready for freshmen
The Princeton Review may not have named DePauw University to it's top ten Diverse Student Population Category in its latest college rankings but that doesn't stop the school from preparing to welcome the largest entering class of international non-citizen students in its history.
In August, 634 new students will hit the DePauw campus, including a group of 69 pupils from outside the United States. This is a 130 percent increase over the number of international students who entered the University last year.
Two years ago the school launched a strategic plan that included bringing more international students to DePauw.
At that time Robert Bottoms was the president of the school and delivered an address to the student body that he outlined as "Securing Our Legacy."
In his plan, Bottoms told students that the university would "strive to further enhance academic engagement and campus life by reaching across oceans to build an increasingly diverse student body and faculty while increasing opportunities for DePauw students and professors to study abroad, and engage the University's dedicated alumni in new ways."
His strategic plan included three key objectives:
To provide an outstanding learning and living environment that encourages academic excellence and the formation of intellectual communities.
To prepare students to make a positive difference in the diverse and interconnected world in which they will live and work.
To cultivate alumni loyalty through lifetime engagement.
According to a story on the DePauw Web site in June over 4,400 applications were received at DePauw this year, which is an increase of four percent from 2007. About one-third of the students are Hoosiers compared to 44 percent last year.
The class of 2012 includes students from 35 states and 22 countries.
So, while DePauw didn't place in The Princeton Review's categories such as the Green Honor Roll, Best Classroom Experience, Happiest Students or Party Schools, they did rank as one of the top 368 schools in the nation. This designates them as one of the top schools for outstanding academics and opportunities offered to students.
The Review also ranked them No. 7 for being a major frat and sorority scene, No. 3 for best radio station, No. 14 for more to do on campus, No. 1 for lots of beer, No. 6 for lots of hard liquor and No. 9 for town gown strained relationship.
DePauw ranks fairly high among many other surveys. In 2007 the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) found that DePauw students were more academically engaged than peer undergraduates at other schools.
In the past year, a survey by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity placed the University as number 31 among the nations liberal art colleges.
And according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance (April 2008) issue DePauw is one of the 50 "best values" in liberal arts colleges.
Information about DePauw University and its programs are available at www.depauw.edu.