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2022 Year in Review
OLIVET COLLEGE EARNS NATIONAL ACADEMIC RANKINGS
OLIVET COLLEGE WE’RE RANKED!
Olivet College has been recognized nationally on several college ranking lists, including a #1 ranking for Academic Stewardship in Michigan. Academic Influence, a private company that uses artificial intelligence technology to rank universities, colleges and high schools across the country, ranked the College in the top 10 in four categories. #1 Academic Stewardship #10 Best Small College in Michigan #10 Best Liberal Arts College in Michigan #10 Best Private College in Michigan U.S. News and World Report is frequently cited as the nation’s premier college-ranking publication and ranked Olivet College in several categories. #7 Top Performers on Social Mobility #23 Best Value Schools #37 Regional Colleges Midwest Washington Monthly ranks liberal arts colleges and fouryear institutions based on their contribution to the public good based on three categories: social mobility, research and promoting public service. #65 Best Bachelor’s College (nationwide) #149 Best Bang for the Buck (Midwest)
Olivet College Professor Joanne Williams has been named one of 51 educators out of 374 applicants nationwide to receive funding from the online learning platform Course Hero. Professor Williams specializes in reporting and editing and is the advisor for The ECHO, the award-winning student newspaper. The $1,800 grant will support a news access effort led by upper-level students in the Media Production and Communication (MPC) major to provide local news to the Olivet, Michigan community. In doing this project, MPC students will learn how to run a 24-7 news operation and help meet the needs of the community.
Williams
OLIVET SENIOR EARNS ONE OF TWO LLOYDS OF LONDON INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES
Olivet College senior Samuel Vondra is one of two insurance and risk management students nationwide to have been awarded the J.H. Blades Scholars London Experience through the highly competitive Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA) internship program. The J.H. Blades Scholars London Experience allows Sam to work at Lloyds, the birthplace of modern insurance, in June of 2023. “Receiving the J.H. Blades Scholars London Experience is an absolute honor; this solidifies the strength of the Olivet College Insurance and Risk Management program as a whole,” said Sam. WSIA is a world-class member service organization representing the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines industry. It offers one of the most prestigious internship programs in the nation for insurance and risk management students.
Vondra
Marjorie Newman is the director of student transition and academic success, a new position at the College. Her primary focus is cultivating a positive first-year transition and onboarding experience for all incoming students. Previously, she taught journalism and public relations courses at various institutions, including Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana, and Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She began her higher education career teaching English composition at Louisburg College in Louisburg, North Carolina. In addition to teaching and academically advising students in her department, Ms. Newman served as Undergraduate Coordinator, QEP Faculty Liaison, Curriculum Council Member and Summer Bridge Program Principal Investigator. She is in the doctoral dissertation phase of her postgraduate program in developmental education with a concentration in higher education administration at Grambling State University.
Newman
Paul Burkhardt, Ph.D., is the new provost for Olivet College. Previously, he served Prescott College as executive vice president and provost. He succeeds Maria Davis, Ph.D., who stepped down after 11 years to return to a full-time professor role in the Department of Natural Sciences Burkhardt and Mathematics. “When I learned that Olivet College was the first institution in Michigan to welcome all students regardless of race, gender or ability to pay, I was intrigued,” said Dr. Burkhardt. “Now that I have had the opportunity to meet Olivet’s students, staff and faculty, I am deeply impressed with their highly engaging, relationshipbased approach to all aspects of the student experience. I am very excited to join the Olivet College community.”
DEAN OF STUDENT LIFE NAMED
Todd Long, Ph.D., is the new Dean of Student Life. Dr. Long has spent most of his career advocating for students and operationalizing policies, services and programs to support students. His experience includes residence life and student development, mental health and wellness, student conduct, Title LongIX, campus safety, disability services, co-curricular programs, LGBTQIA+ student services and international student services. He is committed to professional development for his staff, and his focus on his professional development mirrors the investment that others have made in his growth and success.
GOLD-LEVEL MILITARY RANKINGS CONTINUE
Veterans and OC students Samuel Hackworth, Willie Couch and Jesse Beaver with Registrar and VA Certifying Official Leslie Sullivan in the Square. The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency has named the College a Gold-Level Veteran-Friendly School for the fifth consecutive year. The Michigan Veteran-Friendly Schools Program recognizes academic institutions committed to supporting the needs of veterans and military-connected students. Olivet College is one of 41 schools ranked at the gold level, and the College has earned the gold-level ranking consecutively since the 2017-18 academic year. The College also earned a 2022-23 Top 10 Gold-Level Military Friendly® School from Viqtory Media, ranking fourth in the private schools not offering a doctorate degree category. Military Friendly® serves as a standard to measure an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for the military community.
STUDENTS RAISE MONEY FOR UKRAINE THROUGH ART
The Olivet College Art Alliance, a student-run organization that promotes the arts, raised over $550 for the nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen in support of the citizens of Ukraine through the sale of limited-edition etchings sold during Homecoming. Leah Hopkins, Art Alliance member said, “Art Alliance chose this project to aid the suffering of Ukrainian people. It was a way for us to present something beautiful to the OC Community in support of others and to bring some sunshine into a heavy topic that impacts millions of people.”
