GUILFORDIAN
first-year students
change the face of Guilford
Seth Van Horn
News Editor
c
uilford welcomes 507 new tradi
tional-aged students this year, includ
ing 448 first-year and 59 transfer stu
dents. That's 153 more new students
than last fall. This deliberate increase
in enrollment has radically altered the
make-up of the students living on cam
pus.
Like any new demographic, this shift
will result in new policies, positions,
and places for the college.
"The Guilford economic and commu
nity plan aims to have 1,446 traditional
students by 2009," said Randy Doss,
Vice President for Enrollment and
State of the college: A letter from Guilford's president
D ear Students:
Welcome back to Guilford College,
where anticipation about the 2004-05
academic year has reached a peak with
your arrival on campus. These are
exciting times, and here's a snapshot:
- Guilford is North Carolina's fastest
growing college in the past four years,
and we expect a record 2,400 students
this fall. More students each year are
choosing Guilford for the strength of its
academic programs and other unique
qualities.
-Our first year class of 450 students is
the largest ever, with about one fifth
ranking in the top 10% of their high
school graduating classes.
- We have a new strategic, long
range plan under consideration. This
will be our roadmap for the years 2005-
10, and the plan is the result of two
years of widely participatory develop
ment in which students, employees,
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Campus Life. "It was very deliberate
strategic long range planning to bring
in more students this year."
Guilford did not accept a much larger
percentage of applicants than last
year: 71 percent instead of 69.
However, 2,645 students applied to
start Guilford this year; last year only
1,843 applied.
The increase in the number of stu
dents not only came from admitting
more students, but more students
applying. With 2,645 students applying
as either first-years or transfer stu
dents, this year witnessed over 800
more applications than last year.
The increase is part of a national
trend. Colleges all over the country
received a record number of applica
pus construction and renovation proj
ects are in progress or finished. We're
especially proud of renovations to the
residence halls and Founders Hall. The
first phase of the Founders project,
including the terraces and gazebo,
should be complete by the end of
September.
- The Bryan Series will welcome four
major speakers on the topic
"Challenges Facing Democracy" this
year, including political analyst Cokie
Roberts Oct. 1 and former Soviet
Union President Mikhail Gorbachev
Oct. 6.
A first-year checks in at Milner Hall
tions last year, according to collegead
missioninfo.com.
The recruitment drive has changed
the make-up of the student body living
on campus. In order to house the first-
For those who are new to Guilford,
and even for some of the "old-timers," I
want to say a few words about the
openness of our community and the
opportunities for participation in deci
sion-making that are yours to choose,
or not.
Guilford ranks among the most open
colleges in the U.S. in terms of public
information, and I speak for my col
leagues in administration in welcoming
feedback from students - both positive
and negative. Our openness is exem
plified by the use of the Web site and
e-mail (daily Buzz, weekly Beacon) for
campus events and announcements;
publication of digests of all meetings of
the Board of Trustees and president's
cabinet; publication of the annual
budget and independent consulting
reports on dining services, the book
store, information technology and other
services; weekly open office hours for
the president, vice presidents and
deans; community forums on finances,
planning, construction projects, and
student concerns; and very helpful
Web-based publications entitled Where
year's, the office for campus life
released a letter during the summer
offering juniors and seniors "a limited
number of off-campus petitions to indi
viduals who previously may not have
Continued on page 3
to Go? Whom to Call? Who Gets to
Decide? and Myths and Facts. There is
almost never a legitimate excuse for
guessing about the facts, or taking
inappropriate action based on rumor or
misunderstanding.
During this year you will probably
hear things and witness events that
merit clarification:
(a) First, some may suggest that
"student opinion does not matter" or "I
was not heard." Students who choose
to participate by running for office,
attending community meetings and sit
ting down with administrators and fac
ulty to discuss issues do matter in
decision-making. Students who would
rather sit on the sidelines and complain
do not. That the college may act differ
ently than you would like does not
mean you were not heard. Sometimes
we will simply disagree. I know. I was
the president of the student body at my
undergraduate college for two terms.
Continued on page 2