Vol. 110, Iss. 1 | Tuesday, February 25, 2020
The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
Flathatnews.com | Follow us:
CAMPUS
Sam Jones set to retire June 2020
Vice President of Finance, Administration steps down after 34 years of service ALEXANDRA BYRNE FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER
N O RTH ER N VI RGINIA YI EL D RATES FALL
College faces declining admissions matriculation in Northern Virginia counties ETHAN BROWN // FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
A
c o m m o n perception among students at the College of William and Mary is that many undergraduates hail from Northern Virginia, a geographically small but populous section of the state bordering Washington, D.C. While admissions data from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia indicate that students from Northern Virginia are a sizable population of instate students on campus, the College’s ability to matriculate prospective students from Northern Virginia has declined over the past 14 years. In the college admissions process, yield refers to the percentage of first-time college students that receive an offer of admission from a university and decide to enroll. According to data from 2005 to 2019, the College experienced declines in its yield of prospective students from Northern Virginia. Growing percentages of high school students from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington Counties — which the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce describes as the region’s core jurisdictions — received offers from the College and subsequently did not matriculate as students in Williamsburg. In the 2018–19 application cycle, the College’s yield rates of these four Northern Virginia counties were relatively low compared to those present in the mid-2000s. The highest yield rate was in Fairfax County, where 35.5 percent of in-state students admitted to the College ultimately chose to become students here. During the 2005–06 admissions cycle, the College had an average yield rate of 50 percent with students in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties. In Prince William and Loudoun Counties, more than half of students who received an offer from the College ultimately matriculated here, with yield rates of 53.4 percent and 53.6 percent respectively. Dean of Admission Tim Wolfe said that the College’s declining yield rates in Northern Virginia during the past decade mirror national trends at universities across the United States. Prospective college students have begun submitting higher numbers of college applications in recent years, causing many universities to experience lagging yield rates since students have more options to consider — and more colleges to reject — when making their college choice. Wolfe confirmed that this trend has affected the College and yield rates have declined throughout Northern Virginia in recent application cycles. “We are competing not only with places in Virginia, but places nationally for enrolling students,” Wolfe said. “You’re talking about students who have some fantastic opportunities and offers.” Student Services Director at Chantilly High School in Fairfax County Robyn Lady ’ 90 echoed Wolfe’s sentiments by illustrating the many options available to her competitive high school students in Northern Virginia. She referenced
WILLIAM AND MARY YIELD RATES 2 0 1 8 -2 0 1 9
ARLINGTON COUNTY:
23.9%
FAIRFAX COUNTY:
LOUDOUN COUNTY: PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY:
35.5%
33.9%
33.6%
improving “college search” skills as a partial contributor to the College’s struggle to matriculate students at Chantilly, since they are becoming increasingly adept at finding competitive funding packages and offers from universities across the country. “I’ve got people who have turned down UVA or William and Mary because they got a full ride for Alabama in engineering,” Lady said. “People are understanding that they can actually save money by going out of state because kids admitted to UVA and William and Mary are phenomenal kids that other state and private schools would love to steal from the state of Virginia.” For Virginia students that do choose to stay in state for school, the College has consistently underperformed rival University of Virginia’s yield of Northern Virginian students. While both the College and UVA are selective, in-state “Public Ivies,” UVA’s yield rates outpace the College’s in every admissions cycle from 2005 to 2019 in all four core Northern Virginia counties. Lady attributed the discrepancy between UVA and the College’s yield rates to the perceptions of the two universities by Northern Virginia residents. In her time working with prospective students at Chantilly, Lady said that high schoolers persistently imagine the College as academically rigorous and stressful, while students tend to view UVA as a better balance between a good education and a traditional ‘college experience’. Lady connected the College’s low yield at Chantilly to these beliefs. “... Their lowest yield, UVA’s, is 58 percent,” Lady said. “Our highest yield for William and Mary is 35 percent. I definitely think that differential is the perceived experience at the two institutions. One is perceived as much more rigorous and not very fun, and one is perceived as a lot of fun, great sports, and also great education.” In 2018–19, UVA had a 57.8 percent yield of students in Fairfax County, compared with the College’s 35.5 percent yield. In Arlington County, the differential between UVA and the College is starker: 54.3 percent of students accepted to UVA matriculated there, compared with just 23.9 percent of students at the College. From his perspective, Wolfe said that differentials between the College’s and UVA’s Northern Virginia yield rates primarily originate from two factors: affordability and demographic change. According to Wolfe, the College’s ongoing “William & Mary Promise” initiative has been effective in lowering tuition and room and board rates for Virginia residents demonstrating financial need since its initiation in the early 2010s. While the initiative has made the College one of the most affordable in-state options for lower and middle-income students, students without demonstrated financial need often face costs at the
U VA YIELD RATES 2 0 1 8 -2 0 1 9
ARLINGTON COUNTY:
54.3%
FAIRFAX COUNTY:
57.8%
LOUDOUN COUNTY:
57.9%
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY:
48.5%
See NOVA ADMISSIONS page 3
Outgoing Editor-in-Chief Nia Kitchin bids farewell to The Flat Hat
2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
Rainy High 64, Low 48
See JONES page 4
Inside Sports
Inside Opinions
Index Profile News Opinions Variety Sports
GRAPHICS BY LULU DAWES / THE FLAT HAT
At the end of June, Vice President for Finance and Administration Sam Jones ’75, M.B.A ’80 will no longer be “monitoring the situation”. Jones, who often opened his campus-wide emergency report emails with this refrain, announced last week to the College of William and Mary community that he plans to retire at the end of this academic year. Jones, who has worked for the College for 34 years, will have his position filled by Amy Sebring M.P.P. ’95, who currently serves as vice president for finance and technology. Sebring will assume the responsibilities that Jones holds under the new role of chief operating officer, which seeks to combine her current position with Jones’ position as vice president for Finance and Administration. College President Katherine Rowe announced the transition in an email to the College community Feb. 17. In the email, she expressed gratitude for the leadership of Jones during her own transition into the presidency. “I am also sensible of how fortunate I am to have benefited from Sam’s wisdom and warm welcome over these past two years at William & Mary,” Rowe said in an email. During his time at the College, Jones worked under five presidents and has overseen many large-scale projects, including the construction of Alan B. Miller Hall and the Integrated Science Center. In the press release issued by the College, Rector John Littel noted the strategic leadership of Jones and his ability to center the needs of students in the face of challenges. Despite his many accomplishments, Jones said that it was not always easy. He cited the fluctuations in state financial support for the College as one of his biggest challenges during his career. “The biggest challenge has been the uncertainty of state support,” Jones said in an email. “When the state’s economy is strong, the Commonwealth provides significant operating support. However, when there is an economic downturn, we usually lose some portion of state funding. As a result, long-term planning can be challenged.” Jones began at the College as a student, which he said informed his decision-making as an administrator. “Having been both an undergraduate as well a graduate student made it easy to remember that, in the end, what we do is ‘all about the student,’” Jones said. “Being a firstgeneration college student, and receiving financial aid, made me appreciate the value of student aid and the private donors that support our students.” Jones has experienced many transitions in the College’s administration himself, during which he said he maintained continuity above all else. “I have been fortunate to work under exceptional leaders at William & Mary,” Jones said. “I learned early on that even when there was change at the top, the best thing to do was to keep doing my job to the best of my ability. Ultimately that will be recognized.” Vice President of Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 touched upon Jones’s success throughout his career at the College. “Throughout the course of his career, Sam Jones has shown great care and concern for students and their welfare,” Ambler said in an email. “Whether he’s setting budget priorities for the university, overseeing major construction projects, or attending to campus safety, VP Jones regularly focuses on what is in the best interest of students. He and VP Amy Sebring have worked very closely over the last several years, so I anticipate a smooth transition as his retirement date nears.” Ambler said that the biggest project Sebring will pick up is the Sadler West Addition construction project, which is projected to be
Nia Kitchin ’20 provides advice for the new Flat Hat staff and reflects on the year as the newspaper’s 109th Editor-in-Chief. page 5
CAA Championship goes swimmingly
Tribe men’s swimming captured its sixth consecutive CAA championship in Christiansburg last weekend, and the women’s team earned second place. page 10