UC News

UC Students Learn More

There has never been a time to be more excited about academics at the University of Charleston. UC students learn more and we can prove it.

UC students ranked No. 1 in the United States on Rand’s Collegiate Learning Assessment test, as reported by The Council for Aid to Education. The CLA measures students’ learning gain from first to final year. UC was asked to be one of 40 colleges in the U.S. to participate in the 2005-2006 CLA pilot test. In the 2005-06 academic year, freshmen and seniors were tested and the difference between the beginning and exit performance on the CLA was found to show that UC students learn more in 4 years than any other school participating in the study.  That was just part of the good news from the Fall 2006 semester. For the second consecutive year, UC is ranked first among West Virginia Comprehensive Colleges—Bachelor’s by U.S. News & World Report. The University of Charleston was tied for 21st in the entire South region.

“It’s flattering for the University to be ranked first among our peer institutions who serve West Virginia so well,” said UC President Ed Welch, of the conclusions of U.S. News & World Report, which provides the best-known ranking of America’s educational institutions. “We’re gratified by this additional confirmation that the University is truly on the move and that we do indeed prepare graduates for the real world.”

UC students also rank above the 80th percentile on each of the indicators of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which measures the extent to which students are actively learning: how many books they have read, how many papers they have written, how many times they met individually with a faculty member, and similar questions concerning their learning experiences. Of 523 four-year schools and about 260,000 randomly selected first-year and senior students, UC’s freshmen rank in the top 15 to 20 percent of all schools on all indicators. Seniors at the University of Charleston fared even better, ranking in the top 10 to 15 percent nationally.

“We like to say that we’re not surprised. We know how hard and how well we work with students,” said Jay Wildt, ‘82, Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences. “We see in the eyes of our freshmen the positive results that the academic changes have brought about. The level of engagement is definitely greater.”

The University is already far ahead of a future trend in higher education. A commission appointed by United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently recommended that all colleges and universities need to be more accountable for demonstrating their success in educating students. As reported in a USA Today front page story (Tues., Nov. 14, 2006, Should government take a yardstick to colleges?), the commission recommends that two tools be used to gauge how well students are served by higher education institutions: the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Collegiate Learning Assessment.

UC not only utilizes both tests, its outstanding performance on both has established UC’s reputation as a national leader in student learning and assessment. UC approaches learning in a unique, student-centered way.

The results of these tests confirm that UC’s Learning Your Way emphasis on students demonstrating the skills and knowledge necessary for a life of productivity and involvement is effective. 

Thanks to the vision of its administrators and the efforts of its faculty, UC is being nationally recognized for taking the initiative to make learning efforts performance-based. At a recent meeting for college presidents from around the country, the keynote speaker pointed to the University of Charleston as the school that exemplifies how colleges should be teaching their students. Said President Welch, “This national recognition is gratifying, but the greatest reward is knowing that because of our unique programs and their emphasis on actual performance and assessment, our graduates are truly ready for the real world.”

UC Named to President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

Congratulations to the University of Charleston for being named to the first-ever President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  This distinction recognizes students, faculty and staff for helping to build a culture of service and civic engagement in our nation. 

David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, provided President Welch with a letter explaining the commendation, a certificate recognizing exemplary and extraordinary contribution to meeting critical needs through community service and service-learning, and additional information about the Honor Roll and its affiliated programs.

According to the letter, more than 500 colleges and universities applied for the Honor Roll in its inaugural year, and the University of Charleston is recognized for our "leadership in service." 

The Corporation for National and Community Service released a study that shows that student civic engagement has risen significantly in recent years.  The "College Students Helping America" study showed that student volunteering increased approximately 20 percent from 2002 to 2005, and that 3.3 million college students serve each year.  More information about the study and the Honor Roll can be found at www.nationalservice.gov.

New Morrison Fitness Center opens on river bank site

Students and staff alike are now literally on the move in the $1.5 million Morrison Fitness Center, named after longtime UC Chairman of the Board of Trustees, J. Holmes Morrison. The new building sits on the campus lawn overlooking the Kanawha River and the West Virginia Capitol. It opened on Friday, January 19, and on Monday, January 22, had 284 visitors.

“Holmes has been on our Board of Trustees for 20 years and chaired it for 12 of the last 13. That is now third in longevity. It is his major civic involvement,” said UC President Ed Welch, of the reason for honoring Morrison. “He sees the role we’re playing in the community, which is why he invests so much in us.”

Approval for building the 7,400 square-foot structure was granted by UC’s Board of Trustees in May [2006].  Private donors contributed the $1.5 million for the building and its contents, including four liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, which can be viewed from both the first and second floors of the building.

The fitness center can accommodate about 100 comfortably and includes 39 cardio exercise machines, including elliptical machines, treadmills and stationary bikes on the second floor. On the first floor there are free weights as well as pin and plate-loaded weight machines. There are rooms for exercise classes on both floors.

“I’ve been talking about this (being built) for years,” said Morrison. “This facility – being on the Kanawha River looking at the Capitol building – there is not one anywhere as good as this. This is as good as it gets.”

Those present on January 11, the night the building was dedicated, realized the honor was a surprise to the ever-humble Morrison.

“This was a real shock,” he said. “But if I was going to have my name associated with anything it would be this, because I’ve been working out for 24 years. It is really thanks to Henry Harmon (fellow Trustee and CEO of Triana Energy) that this was created. Without him, it couldn’t have been done.”