PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015
In this issue 1
President’s Message
2
Academic Building Takes Center Stage
3
State-of-the-Art Athletic Center
4
Funding a Brighter Future
5
Learning from a Team
6
Emerging Leaders
8
A Military Friendly School
12
Growing a Foundation of Leadership
18
Female Leaders Flourish on Campus
20 Strong and Supportive Volunteer Leadership 21
Nichols by the Numbers
PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015 Editor Lorraine U. Martinelle Director of Public Relations Creative Director Steve Belleville Contributors Ronald E. Schachter Senior Writer and Adjunct Professor of English William L. Boffi Vice President for Enrollment Susan D. Veshi Assistant Vice President for Advancement Peter M. Engh Associate Dean for Institutional Research and Reporting
Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Cynthia Goodwin Brown ’11 MSOL ’14
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
Advancing the Nichols Commitment to Develop Tomorrow’s Leaders
I
t’s an exciting time to be at Nichols College. With the new academic building, renovation of our athletic facilities, record enrollment, positive retention results, and the wrap-up of our bicentennial-year celebration, the College is moving toward our mission of becoming a college of choice for business and leadership education. Nichols prepares our students to succeed—no matter what their area of interest—through our leadership development, faculty mentoring, and team-based classes. Whether our graduates take a more traditional career path, start their own business, or follow their passion outside the business world, Nichols is proud to play a small part in their journey. In this second edition of the Nichols College President’s Report, I invite you to read about this past year’s accomplishments, in particular through the eyes of our students. When it comes to making the College attractive, affordable, and educationally rewarding to students, we’ve come far in the past year. Now, we’re embarking on an ambitious, public, and comprehensive campaign to raise $45 million—by far the largest such initiative in the history Nichols—with an eye to continuing the College’s academic and physical growth and to making every effort to keep the education we provide affordable. Through The Bicentennial Campaign—Securing a Legacy of Leadership—we want to continue to help fulfill our students’ dreams and aspirations through scholarship support, capital improvements, and leadership investment. The Bicentennial Campaign is about our students and providing the right environment and educational opportunities for them to discover, cultivate, and celebrate their unique leadership potential. It is ensuring that, within our welcoming and mentoring community, we continue to offer a professional education that distinguishes our graduates. The way in which we accomplish our mission continually changes and grows more complex, but our commitment to transforming today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders grows stronger.
Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. President
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Academic Building Takes Center Stage The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newest addition to the Nichols landscape took place Sept. 18, 2015. The new academic building comes with a host of state-of-the-art classrooms, carefully designed study spaces, and a combined suite of student academic support services—all in one location. Students may gather in the building’s lobby amid furniture arrangements designed for group projects, reinforced by the occasional white board hanging between the alternating—and sustainable—blond-and-dark wood paneling on the long wall opposite. Natural light pours through a three-story atrium running the length of the building, which was designed and built to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards. Students can also find the College registrar, academic advising, and learning services—offices previously spread across campus for lack of space as the school expanded, but available now in a convenient constellation. On the third floor, students can find the new offices of many of their professors. “This building has enabled so many things—for faculty to have individual offices, for student learning services to be consolidated, for the College to make strides toward actualizing our vision, and the list goes on,” said Nichols President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D.
The crown jewels of the $10 million building are the oversized classrooms, which combine advanced technology and innovative instruction to maximize what students learn in their courses. The educational breakthroughs aren’t strictly high-tech. In other classrooms, the same oblong tables—increased space for professors to move around and facilitate student discussions and projects—and wraparound whiteboards for the results of those collaborations have made an immediate difference, according to Human Resource Management Professor Libba Moore. “The students love it,” said Moore. “It brightens up their frame of mind.”
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, administration, trustees, and friends of the College celebrated the official opening of the new academic building in September 2015.
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Nicon Plaza Nicon Plaza was dedicated in September 2015 to the students and faculty of the Nichols College Forestry Program, the Nichols Conservation Club, and the Intercollegiate Woodsmen Teams.
A State-of-the-Art Athletic Center
From 1954 to 1970, this group had such an impact on the culture of the College, with their hands-on study of forestry management, competitions, and annual game suppers. Today, its members remain spirited alumni who return to campus for their own reunion weekends and who spearheaded an effort to raise a significant gift to the new academic building.
Renovations to the Nichols Athletic Center were completed during the fall 2015 semester. The year-long, multi-million-dollar overhaul and extension of the facility now features a state-of-the-art fitness center and dance studio that overlook Vendetti Field. It also offers expanded and pro-style locker, weight, and training rooms for members of the College’s nearly two dozen men’s and women’s teams. The beneficiaries of the facility’s redesign also include all Nichols students, who can avail themselves of newly refinished basketball courts—ringed above by an indoor running track—and the dozens of stationary bikes, stair climbers, elliptical machines, treadmills, and weight lifting stations in the new fitness center, as well as a growing number of aerobics and dance classes. The redesign has heightened the possibilities of Nichols athletics.
“We certainly have the facilities now to match or exceed those of the other schools in our conference,” said Athletics Director Christopher Colvin. “This building will help in recruiting.”
Forestry alumni Jim Jackson ’69, Jon Ives ’67, and Ron Schmitt ’65 stand with their alumni achievement award in the newly named Nicon Plaza on campus.
Some of the new construction covers the former site of a swimming pool that went unused for more than 20 years.
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Funding a Bright Student Future The public launch of Nichols College’s $45 million fundraising campaign, Securing a Legacy of Leadership, was announced at the conclusion of a year-long celebration of the bicentennial of Nichols, which was founded in 1815 as an academy before becoming a junior college in 1931 and a four-year college in 1958. It’s the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the College’s 200-year history, intending to raise $45 million by June 2017. The effort was publicly announced Sept. 19, 2015, during the Nichols College Bicentennial Gala and President’s Society Recognition Event at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. The campaign will fuel Nichols College’s strategic initiatives in three key areas: endowment growth; learning and living environment; and enhanced leadership education. “This ambitious fundraising effort will direct resources to where they will have the greatest impact on our students’ capacity to learn, lead, and succeed, such as scholarship support, modern facilities, and innovative programming,” said Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. “It will provide the financial stability and freedom to create opportunities that will further distinguish the Nichols experience. “Securing a Legacy of Leadership is a precedent-setting campaign that dares us to aspire to our next milestone,” added President Engelkemeyer. “On the strength of our proud past, we are realizing a new vision for Nichols as a college of choice for business and leadership education. We are charting a course to solidify our reputation for transforming today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders through a dynamic, career-focused business and professional education. As we set the stage for our third century, Nichols College’s enduring legacy of success and leadership inspire us to reach that next milestone.”
In total, $12 million of the campaign will support endowed scholarships as well as faculty and academic programs, improving campus life and facilities ($23 million), and annual contributions to enhance curricular and co-curricular initiatives ($10 million). “With the past as a guide and inspiration, Nichols College is confidently writing the next chapter of its long and successful history,” said campaign co-chair and Trustee Emeritus Gerald Fels ’66 of Webster, Mass. Fels is retired CEO and vice chair of MAPFRE USA, which is headquartered in Webster. “Through promoting academic excellence, enhancing student development, growing endowment and financial strength, and advancing student involvement and athletics, the Nichols Bicentennial Campaign will help further the College’s commitment to guiding students toward the future they desire—a future of confidence, success, and leadership.” Approximately $35 million has already been raised during its leadership phase, which began in July 2009. “The Bicentennial Campaign is focused on our students and how we can best prepare them as the next generation of business leaders,” said campaign co-chair and Nichols Board of Trustees Chair John Davis ’72, a Longmeadow, Mass., resident and chair/CEO of Springfield, Mass.-based Ventry Industries. “It’s ambitious and achievable at the same time,” said Nichols Vice President for Advancement William Pieczynski, referring to the $45 million target. “The major reason people give is their confidence in what we are doing.”
Learning from a Team
Brian McCoy
Libba Moore
One of the deciding factors for many students who attend Nichols College is the one-on-one feel of classes with their professors, but an emerging trend at the school is one-on-two. The addition of another professor in team-taught courses has added a new dimension to learning, and students and professors alike are taking to it enthusiastically. One of the main advantages to team teaching is the opportunity for students to see the same material through the lens of two different subject areas. This past spring, Professors Brian McCoy and Libba Moore team-taught the class “Sex Matters: Gender Awareness and the Future of Work.” The course explored gender relationships
Professors Thomas Davis and Leonard Harmon
in the workplace from the standpoints of psychology—McCoy’s area of expertise—as well as Moore’s focus on human resources. McCoy emphasized that the learning experience is not confined to his students. “If students can see that both professors are invested in the outcomes of the course and the learning they hope will happen, then there will be more investment on the students’ part as well,” he said. “Working with an expert in a field other than your own, you find that you learn alongside the students.”
Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Salutes Nichols College As Nichols College celebrated 200 years of educating tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce recognized the College’s bicentennial and contributions with a special salute
at the Chamber’s Sept. 10, 2015, Breakfast Club meeting at the DCU Center in Worcester. “Nichols College has been an educational anchor for central Massachusetts, and its graduates have greatly contributed to the regional economy for generations,” said Tim Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber is proud to salute Nichols College on its bicentennial.” In introducing Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D., to accept the Chamber’s plaque of recognition, program emcee Troy Siebels, president and CEO of The
Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, said: “The theatre has enjoyed a strong partnership with Nichols College, and I am grateful for the opportunity to present Nichols and President Engelkemeyer with this well-deserved honor.” “On behalf of Nichols College, I thank the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce for this salute and am honored to be recognized among a distinguished panel of peers,” said President Engelkemeyer. “Nichols College’s academic profile continues to grow, providing students—tomorrow’s business leaders in the Worcester region and beyond—the tools to succeed in the business world.”
Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Tim Murray and Nichols President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D.
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Students Emerging as Leaders Starting in fall 2015, approximately 50 sophomores have helped launch Nichols College’s new Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), which is designed to nurture an often-overlooked skill in the typical college curriculum. Over the next three years—as sophomores, juniors and seniors— the ELP students will complete a variety of program requirements, from attending a speakers’ series on leadership and analyzing case studies to solve leadership challenges, to taking leadership roles on and off campus.
more than 70 alumni volunteers, participates in ELP and reaches out to other alumni to do the same.
The new program—which had its official kick-off event in April 2015— builds on the foundation of Lead 101, a required, one-semester course that debuted in the fall 2014 term. The course exposes first-year students to the principles and practices of leadership and helps them develop a greater awareness of their potential.
At the same time, the new program is adding to a list of campus leadership roles, including in athletics. Student athletes can take a year-long program offered by the Nichols Athletics Department, which is available not only to team captains, but also to other team members who can step up in leadership capacities. There will be expanded leadership possibilities in student clubs, cultural and recreational events, and College offices and departments.
The program also engages alumni through workshops built around case studies of business problems they have to solve. Students discuss their results with the alumnus or alumna who actually had to do the solving.
The students in the program will make a trip to Washington, D.C., with an eye to how leadership can function in government.
ELP requires all participants to complete an internship that places them in real, responsible, and— wherever possible—decision-making jobs. That initiative will build on the College’s track record of ensuring meaningful internships across the curriculum. ELP students also have to complete 24 hours of community service. A tracking system will monitor student progress through the three-year program, which culminates in a capstone activity involving a leadership summit and a trip to another country or somewhere in the United States in the spring of senior year. The destination will be voted on later in the program.
Nichols alumni are also involved with ELP students in other capacities, such as mentoring. Meanwhile, the College’s Board of Advisors, which consists of
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Pictured above from left to right: Joshua Ferreira ’18,; Luanne V. Westerling, associate dean for business, chair of business communication, and chair of the Emerging Leaders Program; and Michael Parnell ’18.
N E W S W O R T H Y
N O T E S
Nichols College: A Great Place to Work
forwarding, or remarking on an article that was published in The Chronicle.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education identified Nichols College as “A Great College to Work For” in its August 2015 survey of four- and two-year schools. Nichols is among 86 colleges around the country cited by the prestigious weekly magazine.
Among the criteria considered in the magazine’s eighth annual survey, Nichols stood out for its teaching environment and job satisfaction, as well as for its compensation and benefits.
Nichols is the only college in the greater Worcester area to be so recognized. “The institutions that stood out in this year’s survey excelled in four areas: leadership, communication, alignment, and respect,” note The Chronicle’s authors of the study. “I’m thrilled to be one of only 86 colleges and universities in the country recognized as a great place to work,” said Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. “In my opinion, it means that the high levels of satisfaction reported by our faculty and staff translate into commitment in their roles on campus and what they do in support of our students.” Nichols has 44 full-time and nearly 100 part-time faculty members and a total of almost 300 employees. Engelkemeyer said that being cited by a nationally respected publication makes a difference. “The Chronicle of Higher Education is the most authoritative voice on the issues, best practices, and current events in higher education,” she said. “Rarely a day goes by without someone mentioning,
Besides focusing on areas such as these, the survey requested statements by the president of each college. In her statement, President Engelkemeyer noted, “Nichols College is a great place to work due to a tremendous spirit of collaboration between faculty and staff, all of whom are focused on putting students first.” As an example, she pointed to the collaborative nature of the College’s Leadership Design Task Force. “It’s a team of over 30 faculty, staff, and students who designed a required leadership course for all first-year students that launched in the fall of 2014,” she said. “This course embodies our tagline: Learn. Lead. Succeed.” U.S. News & World Report Ranks Nichols as a Top Regional College Nichols College’s ranking has risen four spots over last year in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 Best Colleges guide. Nichols is ranked at No. 36 among the regional colleges in the North that offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “I am pleased that Nichols College has risen higher in the well-respected U.S. News & World Report rankings and that the publication has recognized the strength and value of a Nichols College education in business and leadership,” said Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. “Thanks to a dedicated faculty that share their knowledge and experience in the world of business and entrepreneurship, students gain practical, professional skills through Nichols’ robust curriculum, vibrant
campus life, and many experiential learning and leadership opportunities. “With several business program offerings, some of which include accounting, finance, marketing, criminal justice management and sport management,” added President Engelkemeyer. “Nichols College’s academic profile continues to grow, providing students—tomorrow’s business leaders—an array of choices to succeed in their career paths.” The U.S. News & World Report rankings for regional colleges and universities are based on several key measures of quality: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. Nichols Outpaces Its Peers in ROI Students earning a Nichols degree can expect a high rate of return on investment (ROI), according to information released in August 2015 by career information company PayScale.com. The average salary of a Nichols graduate with 10-19 years of professional experience is $91,500, which is 37 percent higher than the College’s top-10 competitors.
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Nichols College Designated a Military Friendly School Nichols College has been nationally recognized as a Military Friendly® School by publisher Victory Media. The 2016 Military Friendly® Schools list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools in the United States that support and embrace the educational pursuits of active military service members, veterans, spouses, and their children as students—and ensure their success. Criteria for inclusion on the Military Friendly® Schools list include a strong commitment to recruiting; retaining; and providing financial, academic, and social services to student veterans. Nichols College distinguished itself with its range of services to veterans, including waiving its admissions application fee and ACT and SAT scores (for military personnel and veterans who have been out of high school for at least two years), awarding college credit for military training and experience, offering online courses, and Nichols’ generous Yellow Ribbon program and other financial aid to veterans.
“It is an honor to be designated a 2016 Military Friendly® School,” said Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. “Every day, Nichols faculty and staff dedicate themselves to cultivating the confidence and competencies of our future leaders, to shaping a progressive and engaging learning environment, while defining leadership education for the next generation. There is synergy between the leadership skills military personnel gain while serving in the Armed Forces and what they learn in Nichols College’s classrooms.” Military personnel recognize the quality of the Nichols College experience and programs designed to help them be successful in achieving their education and career goals. “I chose to attend Nichols College, because here, military personnel and veterans are able to take the leadership skills they gained while in the service
and apply them to a variety of courses and through experiential learning opportunities offered by the College,” said U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Lance Corporal Mario A. Turner, a senior criminal justice management major at Nichols College. Now in its seventh year, the Military Friendly® Schools designation and list provide service members transparent, data-driven ratings about post-military education and career opportunities. The methodology used for making the Military Friendly® Schools list has changed the student veteran landscape to one much more transparent, and has played a significant role over the past few years in capturing and advancing best practices to support military students across the country. The survey captures over 50 leading practices in supporting military students and is available free of charge to the more than 8,000 schools approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill funding.
“I chose to attend Nichols College, because here, military personnel and veterans are able to take the leadership skills they gained while in the service and apply them to a variety of courses and through experiential learning opportunities offered by the College.” – Lance Corporal Mario A. Turner ’16 U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and Criminal Justice Management major
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Four short years. Ten tall letters: BSBA MSA CPA Nichols accounting majors will soon have an opportunity to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees within four years. The new program has taken shape in connection with Nichols’ new Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program offered through the College’s division of Graduate & Professional Studies (GPS). According to Nichols Vice President for Enrollment William Boffi, the new initiative adds up to a stronger student body, tuition savings, and an opportunity for motivated undergraduates to rapidly advance to their chosen profession. To sit for the Certified Public Accounting test, prospective accountants must have completed 150 hours of academic credit. The typical undergraduate curriculum produces only 120 hours. Besides accounting for the additional 30 hours, the accelerated MSA program also provides the extensive test preparation for the CPA exam. The accelerated program in Accounting has launched, and Nichols is conducting a national search for 15-20 high-achieving high school seniors who have indicated interest in the subject. Already enrolled Nichols first-year accounting majors will have an opportunity to switch to the accelerated track at the end of the 2015-16 academic year. Nichols already offers a five-year, 4+1 program that grants students their bachelor’s degrees in a range of majors plus an MBA, which ordinarily requires two additional years of study instead of one. But GPS Executive Director Kerry Calnan said that the accelerated program in accounting is an idea whose time has come. The program includes three summers of study after the freshman, sophomore, and junior years. The summer terms will give students the opportunity to live on campus and a greater flexibility in fulfilling the program requirements.
For example, they could complete summer accounting internships to gather the needed credits. “It also enhances the value proposition,” Boffi said of the summer terms, adding that Nichols will charge a lower tuition for them than the fall and spring terms. The MSA program into which undergraduates will pass also will save them money through the free CPA test preparation they will receive. For master’s degrees in accounting programs at many other schools, Calnan said, students have to locate and pay outside test preparation companies. There’s likely to be more innovative programming in store at Nichols, according to Boffi. “In the coming years, we may offer similar programs that would let students in other programs earn a bachelor’s degree as well as an MBA in four years,” he said. “It would not be that hard to build an accelerated program for other majors.”
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“ Nichols has not only the programs I need but also the most caring people to help me launch my career the right way.”
Dean Beebe ’18 Major: Business Communication
Kasey Ayer ’18 Major: Marketing
“ Bison pride is another way of representing yourself. It’s about putting on your Nichols College jersey and showing people who we are individually and as a team.”
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“ Nichols has prepared me to be a leader in so many ways, from the LEAD 101 leadership class to its clubs and activities to its effective speaking class.”
Amanda Haley ’18 Major: Marketing
Bryan Brooks-Gray ’16 Major: Marketing
“ My professors are great at communicating consistently, and they’re always available to help. Now I’m considering getting my master’s. I just can’t say enough about what Nichols has done for me.”
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Strengthening and Growing a Foundation of Leadership The demand for the Nichols experience is stronger than ever. DAY DIVISION FALL ENROLLMENT
Enrollment has significantly grown, and since the College is attracting academically strong students, more are staying enrolled. These positive outcomes are a direct result of a continuing commitment to students who have potential to become great leaders. The number of applications for admission to Nichols has risen each year for the last five years, topping out at a record 2,650 in fall 2015. This total is 29 percent higher than the number of applications the College received in 2010. Not only is the College receiving more applications but also the academic quality of the students applying is as strong as ever. The average combined math and critical reading SAT scores of students in the Class of 2019 was higher than at any time in the last 10 years. The result of more applications and more academically strong applicants is two-fold: Nichols has enrolled more students, and more students are staying enrolled through graduation.
1300
DAY DIVISION FALL ENROLLMENT
1200 1300 1100 1200 1000 1100 900 1000 800 900 700 800 600 700 500 600 400 500
1167
1081 1167 1081 854 756 854
677 756 677
400
1999
2000
2005
2010
2015
1999
2000
2005
2010
2015
DAY DIVISION APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSIONS 2800 2600 2800 2400 2600 2200 2400 2000 2200 1800 2000 1600 1800 1400 1600 1200 1400 1000 1200 1000
DAY DIVISION APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSIONS 2499 2427 2348 2268 2499 2135 2427 2058 2020 2348 2268 2135 2058 2020
2582 2582
2650 2650
1417 1417 2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
SAT SCORES (MATH AND READING), FIRST-TIME STUDENTS 960 940 960
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920 940 900 920
907
SAT SCORES (MATH AND READING), FIRST-TIME STUDENTS 938 936 931 927 921 920 938 936 913 931 927 921 920 913
947 947
600 500 400
1999
2000
2005
2010
2015
DAY DIVISION APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSIONS 2800 2600
2499
2427
2400
2268 2135
2200
2020
2582
2650
2348
2058
2000 1800 1600
1417
1400 1200 1000
Enrollment of traditional-age undergraduates at Nichols is 72 percent higher than it was just 15 years ago, 37 percent higher than in 2005, and 8 percent higher than 2010. Due to the College’s commitment to gradually improving student quality standards—and intensifying its student support efforts—Nichols has established much sought-after consistency in student retention. Improving total enrollment, maintaining a strong student profile, and increasing student retention have come at a time when the number of college-aged high school graduates in the northeast is in decline. Nichols is among the cohort of well-positioned private colleges in the region that are successfully competing for a slightly larger piece of a slightly smaller pie. A strong foundation of leadership—and preparing students for what is next—has put Nichols in this enviable position.
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
SAT SCORES (MATH AND READING), FIRST-TIME STUDENTS 960
947
940 920
931
936
2013
2014
927
921
920
938
913
907
900 883 880 860 840 2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2015
Due to the College’s commitment to gradually improving student quality standards—and intensifying its student support efforts— Nichols has established much sought-after consistency in student retention.
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NICHOLS COLLEGE THIRD-SEMESTER RETENTION 75% 69.2
70%
70.3
70.6
2014
2015
65% 61.6 60%
59.7
59.4
2010
2011
55%
50% 2012
2013
ENROLLMENT HISTORY FOR UNDERGRADUATE DAY STUDENTS 1200 1029 1000
1088
1149
908
854
800
1198 This fall, Nichols College publicly 1167 1071 comprehensive campaign to 986 fuel its vision beyond the bicentennial. The campaign, Securing a Legacy of Leadership, will support strategic initiatives, such as capital improvements, endowment and scholarship growth, and enhanced educational opportunities, that will best prepare the next generation of leaders.
launched a 1081 1069
During the campaign, 600 Nichols hopes to 400 increase the number of 200 endowed scholarships As a campaign priority, endowed to 0at least 45. In the scholarships for deserving students are past year, three have among the greatest needs of Nichols. They help attract students who want been added to the to pursue their educational and career growing list. NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT aspirations with a Nichols degree; they (FALL) FY ’06
FY ’07
500
FY ’09
FY ’10
464
450 400
FY ’08
419 386
364
360
350 300
FY ’11
FY ’12
FY ’13
FY ’14
FY ’15
motivate and enable students who otherwise could not afford college to 433 430 414 graduate; and they stay at Nichols and build the367 College’s endowment373 for a stronger competitive and financial position.
250 200 150 100 50 0 2006
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FY ’16
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During the campaign, Nichols hopes to increase the number of endowed scholarships to at least 45. In the past year, three have been added to the growing list. Southbridge Savings Bank initiated a scholarship in honor of Philip Pettinelli ’71, its retired president, to help a Southbridge resident. The Nichols Class of 1965 celebrated its 50th reunion by endowing a scholarship for a rising sophomore or junior with financial need. And Trustee Thomas J. Hall ’69 has funded a scholarship for a returning student from Connecticut. Endowed scholarships created by generous alumni and donors have a direct impact on student success. They provide financial assistance and encourage today’s students to give back to help the next generation.
GOAL
Leadership Gifts Propel Nichols Toward Vision Nichols College received several gifts and commitments over $100,000 in fiscal year 2015 to advance its mission and vision. They support a variety of objectives and enable Nichols to enhance programming, improve the learning and living environment and expand professional development opportunities to help transform today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders. Keith Anderson ’81, Trustee Stephen Davis ’80, and a donor who wishes to remain anonymous each pledged $1 million. One of these commitments will be used to endow a professorship in accounting or finance and provide curricular and co-curricular resources to augment and enrich the accounting and finance programs. Leadership gifts were also targeted to capital projects, including $300,000 from the George I. Alden Trust and $100,000 from Board of Advisor member Alvah Rock ’63 to support the new Academic Building. Trustee Peter Lynch ’74 contributed $100,000 to an initiative that better aligns Nichols’ faculty compensation levels with a competitive benchmark, and Trustee James Coghlin, Sr. ’67 and his wife, Nancy, gave a gift of $100,000 to the College in December 2014, as a result of a change in the tax laws governing mandatory IRA Charitable Distributions.
GROWTH IN ENDOWMENT (IN MILLIONS) 10 $9.70
9 $8.83
8 7
$7.37
6 5
$5.94
$6.34
4 3 2 1 0 FY ’11
FY ’12
FY ’13
FY ’14
FY ’15
GROWTH IN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS 50 45 45
40 35 30
30
25 20
21
15
15
10 5
6
0 2000
2005
2010
2015
2017 GOAL
GROWTH IN ENDOWMENT (IN MILLIONS) 10 $9.70
9 $8.83
Endowed scholarships help attract students who want to 7 $7.37 pursue their educational and career aspirations with a Nichols 6 $6.34 $5.94 5 degree. They motivate and enable students who otherwise 4 could not afford college to stay at Nichols and graduate. 8
3 2 1
0 FY ’11
FY ’12
FY ’13
FY ’14 www.nichols.edu FY ’15
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“ My professors at Nichols are always there to challenge me, support me, and encourage me. And they’ve helped me fall in love with my major. I know the skills I’ve learned here will make a big difference in the success of my career.”
Fallonne Fanfan ’18 Majors: Accounting and Finance
Drew Zaiter ’18 Major: Finance
“ I chose Nichols because I could see myself succeeding here. My professors speak with experience from the field and help me apply what we’ve learned. And you can tell they care.”
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“ At Nichols, you can tell your professors what career path you’re interested in, and they’re going to help make it possible. They’ve even used their connections in the field, as guest lecturers or as industry contacts, to help students try out or understand different career possibilities.”
Sean Hoey ’16 Majors: Finance and International Business
Carmen Garcia ’17 Major: Criminal Justice Management
“ There are many paths to choose from at Nichols. I started as an accounting student, but I took just one criminal justice class and loved it. Right then, I decided it was the right major for me.”
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Female Leaders Flourish on Campus The Institute for Women’s Leadership (IWL) at Nichols College— not yet 2 years old—continues to expand its footprint on the Nichols campus as well as in the larger surrounding community. During the 2014-2015 academic year, the IWL released its inaugural Massachusetts Women’s Leadership Index, which measures the percentages of women who serve in positions such as CEO and board member in businesses, non-profit organizations, and public entities around the state. On March 26, 2015, the IWL hosted the College’s annual Empowering Women in Business Conference for over 200 Nichols students and female business professionals from greater Worcester. Besides hearing nationally known speaker Amy Roloff and networking with each other, participants
“The IWL has changed my life. I knew I wanted to make a difference and be in an organization that did just that. It has allowed me to participate in activities, conferences, and workshops that I would have not been involved in without IWL.” – Kerry Postale, ’16
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www.nichols.edu
attended workshops about starting a business, becoming a resilient leader, and other related topics. (Please read related story, following page.) For all the community outreach, according to IWL Faculty Director Jean Beaupré, the Institute’s expanding initiatives are directed at the present and future careers of Nichols undergraduate women. One of those undergraduates, senior Kerry Postale, said: “The IWL has changed my life. I knew I wanted to make a difference and be in an organization that did just that. It has allowed me to participate in activities, conferences, and workshops that I would have not been involved in without the IWL.” Over the past academic year, she and others have made the most of myriad
talks, workshops, and close contacts with female professionals and role models. Continued exposure to successful women, many of them Nichols alumnae— through mentorships, on-campus presentations, and visits with business leaders—has remained the bedrock of IWL programs. On April 22, 2015, the IWL welcomed a local bank vice president as the latest contributor to its ongoing Conversation Project, a discussion over dinner with a small group of students focused on the experiences and challenges of being a female leader. The popular series has included conversations with a high school administrator, a director of customer relations, a creative services manager, and President Susan West Engelkemeyer.
TV Personality Roloff: ‘Find Your Voice’ More than 200 students and business professionals attended the March 26, 2015, Empowering Women in Business Conference at Nichols. Featuring television personality and motivational speaker Amy Roloff, the sold-out conference offered the opportunity to attend workshops, visit exhibitors, and network with peers.
In her address, “Succeeding as the Entrepreneur of You,” Roloff encouraged attendees to: “Stick to your convictions, find your voice, and own it.” The message resonated with students and participants who identified with Roloff’s inspiring message to carry their passion to the top, noting that “it’s never too late to learn.”
Amy Roloff, television personality and motivational speaker
With workshops ranging from nurturing one’s creativity to starting a business, from becoming a resilient leader to using trending hashtags on social media channels, the sessions offered topics for seasoned business professionals, mid-careerists, and students/emerging professionals alike. The 5th annual conference was generously sponsored by donations from local businesses, including keynote sponsor Dexter-Russell, lead sponsors Webster Five and Hometown banks, and media sponsor Worcester Business Journal.
“Stick to your convictions, find your voice, and own it.” – Amy Roloff
www.nichols.edu
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Strong and Supportive Volunteer Leadership A strong and supportive Board of Trustees is integral to the continued success of Nichols College and the achievement of our vision. As the governing body, the Board of Trustees is responsible for all academic, administrative, and financial affairs within the College. In this capacity, the board also lends its expertise and talents to enhance the College’s position as a forerunner in business education. The board is an untiring resource and represents our most generous benefactors and fervent advocates in ensuring that the mission of the College is fulfilled. Board of Trustees Constantine Alexander, Secretary Senior Counsel Nutter, McClennen & Fish LLP Joseph T. Bartulis Jr. Officer Fletcher Tilton PC Randall V. Becker ’83 MBA’96 Executive Vice President and CFO MAPFRE USA Corp. David G. Bedard ’86 Senior Managing Director and CFO New York Life Investments Group Jane T. Birckhead Agent Assured Partners NL Carolyn Burke MBA ’92 AVP, Talent Acquisition MAPFRE | Commerce Insurance Jennie L. Caissie MBA ’00 Lawyer Michael V. Caplette Law Office
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Susan West Engelkemeyer, PhD President Nichols College
Thomas H. Niles ’63 Senior Advisor Boston Residential Group LLC
Asuman Goksel Vice President IBEC Consultancy Education
Alan S. Peppel MBA ’98 Chairman & CEO Affinity Group Inc.
Samuel R. Haines ’73 Chairman & CEO Gear Motions Inc.
Martin J. Power ’78 Chief Commercial Officer CVR Energy Inc.
David G. Hale ’75 Senior Loan Officer Salem Five Mortgage Co. LLC
Tammy A. Wolf ’94 Services Account Manager Hewlett Packard
Thomas J. Hall ’69, Vice Chair Managing Director–Investments Wells Fargo Advisors LLC Kurt R. Harrington ’74, Treasurer Retired Executive Vice President & CFO Arlington Asset Investment Corp. Robert B. Kuppenheimer ’69 Vice President & Managing Director Distribution Development Nuveen Investments LLC
James W. Coghlin Sr. ’67 Chairman & Coach Coghlin Companies Inc.
Peter L. Lynch ’74 Retired President, CEO & Chairman of the Board Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.
John H. Davis ’72, Chair Chairman & CEO Ventry Industries LLC
John H. McClutchy Jr. ’72 President JHM Financial Group LLC
Stephen A. Davis ’80 Partner Ventry Industries LLC
Robert E. Miller, PhD Retired Founding President Quinebaug Valley Community College
Edwin B. Donahue ’72 Consultant, Semi-retired
Senator Richard T. Moore Former Member Massachusetts State Senate
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Trustee Emeriti Howard K.O. Chong Jr. ’64 President & CEO Healani Land Company Inc. John B. Dirlam President J.I. Morris Co. Gerald Fels ’66 Retired Director and Chief Executive Officer The Commerce Group Inc. Richard B. Hardy Chairman Emeritus Affinity Group Inc. David F. Lombard ’65 Retired Publications Consultant Jostens Inc. Robert J. Vaudreuil ’77 Retired President & CEO The Protector Group Insurance Agency Inc.
Nichols by the numbers
1,167 Day students enrolled at Nichols College in fall 2015— second highest undergraduate enrollment in Nichols history
100
%
of students involved in experiential learning
37% After 10-19 years of professional experience, Nichols grads earn on average 37% more than the grads of our top competitors
35+ 18th
Student clubs, organizations, and honor societies available at Nichols
2016 ranking by U.S. News & World Report for alumni giving
75
%
of hours taught by full-time faculty at Nichols College
98
%
of incoming students received financial assistance, and more than 96% of the student body received grants directly from Nichols
20%
More new students with a combined Math and Verbal SAT of greater than 1100
www.nichols.edu
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