Roanoke College

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Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, ELCA 2012 Synod Assembly

Roanoke College 2011-12

Roanoke College is proud to continue the tradition of classic liberal arts education in the Lutheran tradition, now in its 170th_{year of service to its students, alumni, friends and}

Church partners. The following is a brief overview from the College’s academic year 2011-12.

Office of the Academic Dean

Roanoke College began the 2011-2012 academic year with 532 freshmen. Enrollment stands at 2,057 students, consisting of 1,972 full-time and 85 part-time. Lutheran

students number 150. Twenty-three countries and forty one states are represented in the student body.

At the 2011 Roanoke College commencement, 328 baccalaureate degrees were awarded. Sixty-four students graduated in August 2010, for a total of 392. In addition, 44 students completed their graduation requirements in December 2011.

During the 2010-11 academic year, nineteen new faculty were hired (seven tenure-track, two teaching associates and ten visiting faculty). These appointments bring the total teaching faculty to 167. The College’s student-faculty ratio is about thirteen students for every faculty member, and the average class size is fifteen.

Roanoke College passed an accreditation review under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2012, which ensures its accredited status for the next ten years. As part of the review process the College was required to choose an area of

enhancement in its quality and service. Roanoke College has instituted a program called Pathways which seeks to increase student involvement in co-curricular learning opportunities, such as internships, research opportunities, study abroad, service learning and involvement in the fine arts.

Chaplain’s Office

The 2011-12 academic year began with the freshman class working on the sixth “R House” for Habitat for Humanity, which was dedicated on March 17, 2012. Under the auspices of the Chaplain’s program, students traveled to Columbia, South Carolina twice to work for Habitat for Humanity, and students spent part of their winter break in New Orleans for the fourth year of Habitat work following Hurricane Katrina. The

Campus Ministry program continues to be active through Lutheran Student Movement, InterVarsity and Catholic Campus Ministry.

During the spring 2012 semester, the Chaplain’s office took student members of the Roanoke College choir into Lutheran congregations of the Virginia Synod on Sunday mornings. The choir sings during worship, the Chaplain preaches, and both Chaplain and students attend Sunday School for conversations about the College. Five parishes

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received visits during the semester, and more will be scheduled during fall 2012. If your congregation or parish would like to schedule a visit from Roanoke College, please contact Rev. Paul Henrickson, College Chaplain.

Alumni Relations

Roanoke College serves its nearly 15,000 living alumni with an active Alumni Relations program. The twelve alumni chapters, which range along the Eastern seaboard from New England to Atlanta, hold events throughout the year. The College sponsors alumni receptions for friends, parents of current and former students, as well as alumni every year. And each April, Alumni Weekend draws hundreds of alumni and their families back to campus to meet with friends, Roanoke College faculty and staff. In the fall, the Office of Alumni Relations sponsors Family Weekend, attended by family members of hundreds of current students, and which gives students the opportunity to introduce their families to life at Roanoke College.

Roanoke College’s Alumni Executive Council works with College staff to increase participation by alumni in their alma mater. The Council assists in recruiting new students, raising funds for the College, and assisting recent graduates in their career development.

As part of its Alumni Relations program, Roanoke College also serves the alumnae of Marion College, a Lutheran affiliated two year women’s college which closed in 1967. In order to ensure that the legacy of Marion College lives on in perpetuity, the College has initiated an effort to establish the Marion Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the Marion College Alumnae Association. Marion College was well known for its excellent Fine Arts program, and the Marion alumnae have embraced the opportunity to ensure their educational heritage on the campus of Roanoke College.

Center for Religion and Society

The Center continued its central mission of relating Christian faith and ethics to social and intellectual concerns. It sponsored a lecture entitled “The Promise and Peril of Bio-Technological Advance,” featuring Schumann Professor of Christian Ethics, Dr. James Peterson. Another lecture by German theologian Johannes Brosseder explored the ecumenical landscape in “The Future of Lutheran/Catholic Relationships.” The Center co-sponsored with the Fowler Program a conference entitled “The Mystic Chords of Memory—the Cultural and Religious Legacy of the Civil War.” The Center also organized four Faith and Reason Lecture/Dinners at which Roanoke College faculty members reflected on how their faith commitments affect their teaching and scholarship.

In spring 2012, the Center celebrated its 30th anniversary at the 14th Annual Crumley Lecture, which featured Robert Benne reflecting on his career through a presentation entitled “Long Obedience in the Same Direction.” In honor of Dr. Benne’s retirement,

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the College named the Center in his honor. Henceforth it will be known as the Robert D. Benne Center for Religion and Society. Dr. James Peterson, the Schumann Professor of Christian Ethics, assumes the role as Director of the Center in fall 2012.

Admissions

Roanoke is experiencing one of its strongest years in terms of enrollment with over 4,100 freshman applications. Roanoke was included in The Princeton Review's "376 Best Colleges" guidebook. The College received numerous national accolades including selection as the 18th_{most beautiful campuses in the nation.}

The Admissions Office annually has offered a special visit day for Lutheran students. The event is held in September and offers students the opportunity to visit Roanoke, learn about financial assistance and good college search techniques, and understand Luther’s notion of calling as it relates to making a choice about college.

Prospective students are encouraged to visit the campus to learn how Roanoke is a small college with big opportunities for students from all faiths and walks of life. Special financial assistance for Lutherans is automatically awarded to Lutheran students

accepted to Roanoke. Other Lutheran scholarships are available for students from specific Lutheran congregations. Prospective students and their families are

encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid, early in the admissions process in order to take advantage of these opportunities.

Resource Development

The department of Resource Development welcomed a new Vice President, Connie Carmack, in summer 2011. Under her leadership the College prepares for a

comprehensive campaign that will focus on capital projects, student scholarships and enrichment opportunities, faculty support and endowment. The college’s fundraising efforts play an integral part in making affordable education possible to all qualified applicants.

The Office of Church Relations, directed by Ellen I. Hinlicky, continues its partnership with the Synods of the ELCA, the College’s Chaplaincy program and the Center for Religion and Society. Of particular interest is the Metro DC’s WELCA multi-year appeal to

increase the endowment for its scholarship, and the College’s participation in the Planned Giving Consortia of the Virginia Synod and the Metro DC Synod. One of the priorities of the Office of Church Relations is to increase the number and amount of scholarships available to Lutheran students. In addition, the college extends itself to Lutheran congregations through the work of Chaplain Paul Henrickson as described above.

Martin Luther famously said that the vocation of the laborer is no less important or sacred than that of the priest. In keeping with the Lutheran emphasis on the value and

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dignity of all work, Roanoke College educates young people for lives of service and citizenship through the great adventure that is a classic liberal arts curriculum. This tradition is as strong today as when Lutheran pastor Dr. David Bittle founded the College 170 years ago.

Respectfully submitted,

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