Cottey News

The annual faculty and staff holiday luncheon at Cottey College kicked off with a surprise announcement by Cottey College President Dr. Jann Weitzel that brought everyone to their feet.  “I am pleased to announce a $500,000 gift to the College from Mrs. Sophia Zetmeir of Parsons, Kansas, for the renovation of the parlors in Cottey’s residence halls.”

Dr. Jann Weitzel and Mrs. Sophia Zetmeir

“Cottey’s parlors haven’t been renovated in at least 40 years,” said Dr. Weitzel. “The last renovations created more formal areas for socializing. Now, those parlors primarily serve as a pass-through space and are not locations that engage the students of today. We believe that the redesign of these common areas in the halls will create a synergy for residential life on campus by creating spaces our students will want to gather for club and organization meetings, study groups, and socializing.”

Dr. Weitzel added, “As part of the renovation, the designation of “parlor” will be replaced with a more contemporary name befitting the space.”

Sophia Zetmeir, and her late husband Sonny, were generous benefactors during Cottey’s A Defining Moment Campaign. Their philanthropic interests span local, state, and national causes including Labette Community College, the Nelsen-Atkins Museum of Art, kitchens for Habitat for Humanity across the United States, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and their church among others.

Zetmeir is a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and Chapter BS, in Parsons, Kansas.  She is Kansas past state president of P.E.O. serving in 1998-1999.

Architects GastingerWalker& have been retained to design the new parlor areas. They will hold focus groups with students after the first of the year. The goal is to begin renovating the parlor in P.E.O. Hall, which is the oldest residence hall on campus, first with construction beginning in summer 2018. GastingerWalker& designed the Judy and Glenn Rogers Fine Arts Building completed in 2015.

Contact Cottey Institutional Advancement at advancement@cottey.edu for questions about giving.

For more information contact Carla Farmer, Marketing and Strategic Communication, at 417-448-1418.

Today, U.S. News & World Report announced that Cottey College is nationally ranked #7 among its 2018 Best Regional Colleges placing it in the top 10% of regional Midwest colleges.

In addition, Cottey received three new rankings in the Midwest region from U.S. News & World Report. Cottey is ranked #2 among Best Value Schools and Lowest Student Debt Load at Graduation, and #3 for Schools with Most Proportion of International Students.

Rankings by respected organizations such as U.S. News & World Report can provide college-bound students and their parents valuable information to compare merits of different education programs. U.S. News & World Report uses 50 different types of numerical rankings and lists to help students narrow their college search, according to their website.

Colleges ranked in the Best Regional College category focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts in fields such as business, nursing and education.

The U.S. News & World Report rankings, which focus on academic excellence, evaluate more than 1,800 institutions. Only 80 standout colleges and universities, less than 5% of schools evaluated, increased ten or more spots – including Cottey College.

Colleges ranked in the Best Value College category take into account a college’s academic quality based on its U.S. News Best Colleges ranking and the 2016-17 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.

The Lowest Student Debt Load at Graduation ranking indicates that 36% of Cottey students had no debt at graduation while the average amount of debt for the remaining students was $20,287.  According to Student Loan Hero, this is almost $17,000 less than the average debt of $37,172.

Finally, Cottey’s proportion of international students (15%) earned the college a number three ranking as College with the Largest Proportion of International Students.

“We are elated to receive these rankings from such a trusted organization as U.S. News & World Report.  Especially noteworthy is that Cottey moved from a #22 ranking among Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest in 2017 to #7 in 2018,” said Dr. Jann Weitzel, president of Cottey College.

“Cottey stresses the importance of retention rates, graduation rates, maintaining small class sizes, a low student/faculty ratio, and the percentage of faculty who are full time.  In addition, 90% of Cottey’s faculty holds the highest degree in their field.  These are critical markers in the decision process for a student and her family in choosing a college that will be a good fit,” added Dr. Weitzel.

Cottey is one of only five schools in Missouri to be ranked as a Best Regional College and the only women’s college included in the Midwest rankings.  In total, 78 colleges were ranked from twelve states comprising the Midwest region.

Among the criteria on which U.S. News & World Report bases its rankings are the following: retention, assessment by peers and counselors, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance, and alumni giving rate.

“While rankings are helpful to prospective students and parents, the best way to make that final decision is to visit campus and see if that college or university is the right fit. We hope these rankings will encourage more young women to visit Cottey and see for themselves what we have to offer as they make their post-secondary educational choices,” said Dr. Weitzel.

The rankings are available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

Cottey College, Nevada, Missouri, is one of 18 colleges and universities in Missouri to receive a grant for the 2017-18 academic year that will be used to improve financial literacy and help prevent defaults on student loans.

“The default prevention grants provide schools with funding for staff and resources to help students understand how choices they make during college can seriously impact their financial future,” said Marilyn Landrum, a student assistance officer at the department. “Our goal is to assist colleges in educating students about effectively managing their student loans to avoid long-term negative consequences.”

According to a statement provided by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, grants totaling $489,000 through its Loan Default Prevention Program will be awarded. This is the 17th year that grants have been provided to higher education institutions that focus on strengthening students’ money management skills.

Programs funded by this grant educate students about the ramifications of defaulting on their student loans including collection costs, wage garnishment, loss of eligibility to apply for future federal loans, and the negative impact on credit scores.

“Cottey’s leaders are planning to use their grant to target students who need more information about loans or who are at risk of defaulting,” said Sherry Pennington, director of financial aid. “The grant will help fund two new student worker positions, printed mailers for graduates, two tablet computers for data collection purposes and in-person exit counseling sessions,” she said.

“We’re hoping that our annual default rate will decrease as we increase communication about financial literacy and default prevention,” she said.

Citing research that suggests students who don’t complete their degree program are more at risk of defaulting on their loans, Pennington explained that more emphasis also will be placed on tutoring and other services offered by Cottey’s Learning Center to promote degree completion.

“If [students are] successful at completing their degree and get out into the work world, they’ll be able to make those loan payments and not go into default status,” she said. Pennington stated this is the first time Cottey has received this grant from the state department. The grant proposal was written by Kaitlyn Russell, a financial aid counselor at the college.

Michael Donovan, executive director of the Missouri Arts Council (MAC), announces that Cottey College will receive two grants totaling $5,910 to support the Performing Arts Series. The funding will provide for four performances during the 2017-2018 season.

Upon receiving the award letter, Kris Korb, coordinator of campus activities, said, “I am so pleased that the Missouri Arts Council awarded us two grants to partially fund performing arts programs on the campus. Without the grants, we simply would not be able to continue to offer the quality or quantity of performances that we do now.”

“These funds also allow us to keep ticket prices low and we encourage Nevada and the surrounding community members to take advantage of these wonderful performance opportunities.”

The season launches with a performance featuring Step Afrika! The performance will take place on Saturday, September 16, 2017.

Step Afrika! is the first professional dance company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The company began in 1994 as an exchange program with the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa, and has expanded to become an international touring company presenting performances, residencies, and workshops worldwide.

Over the past 19 years Step Afrika! has grown to become one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the US and the largest African American led arts organization in Washington, DC. Their web site is www.stepafrika.org.

Next on the season schedule will be the well-known musical group Riders in the Sky on Saturday, January 27, 2018.

For more than thirty-five years Riders In The Sky (Riders) have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing the genre, while remaining true to the integrity of Western music.

In addition to being inducted into the Grand Ol’ Opry, Riders are in the Western Music Association’s Hall of Fame, the Country Music Foundation’s Walkway of Stars, and the Walk of Western Stars along with Gene, Roy, John Wayne and other cowboy legends. In addition to their two Grammy wins, Riders have been the Western Music Association’s “Entertainers of the Year” six times, and they have won “Traditional Group of the Year” and “Traditional Album of the Year” multiple times. Their website is www.ridersinthesky.com.

The next performance of the season will feature Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio on Wednesday, February 7, 2018.

Longtime friends bound by their Israeli roots and summers shared in Vermont at the Marlboro Music Festival, and now trio members for a decade, Alon Goldstein (piano), Amit Peled (cello) and Alex Fiterstein (clarinet) perform recitals that reflect their special gifts and originality as soloists as well as their marvelous sense of ensemble and love of chamber music.

Alon Goldstein, pianist, is admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting cellists on the concert stage today. Alexander Fiterstein, clarinetist, is recognized for playing that combines flawless technique and consummate musicianship with graceful phrasing and a warm, soulful tone. Their web site is https://www.franksalomon.com/gpftrio.

The final performance of the season is Saint Mark’s Square on Friday, October 20.
St. Mark’s Square is a professional string quartet whose members are currently instructing at or have served on the faculties of Missouri State University, Drury University, and College of the Ozarks. Each is a permanent chair musician in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Collectively, their performance experience has brought them around the world to concert stages in Europe, the Far East, and South America. They have performed in Broadway shows and the stages of NYC’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as Branson theaters.

All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. except St. Mark’s Square which will begin at 8 p.m. in the Cottey College Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts located at 1000 W. Austin Boulevard in Nevada, Missouri.

The Performing Arts Series at Cottey College (formerly the Cottey Lecturers and Artists Super Series- CLASS) was created in 1990 to support the mission of the College and to express and enhance the human spirit. The purpose of the series is for the education and enjoyment of the audience members.

A full listing of events for the 2017-2018 season may be found at www.cottey.edu and on many college Facebook sites. For additional information contact the Campus Activities and Ticket Office at 417-667-8181, ext. 2186 or kkorb@cottey.edu.
The Missouri Arts Council is the state agency dedicated—as public leader, partner, and catalyst—to broadening the growth, availability, and appreciation of the arts in Missouri and fostering the diversity, vitality, and excellence of Missouri’s communities, economy, and cultural heritage. The grants we award make possible quality arts programming to communities both large and small throughout the state. We provide grants to arts projects that meet our strategic goals:

• Engage people in meaningful arts experiences
• Grow Missouri’s economy using the arts
• Strengthen Missouri education through the arts

Established as a state agency in 1965, the Missouri Arts Council is a division of the Department of Economic Development. We are funded through the Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Cultural Trust, and National Endowment for the Arts.

Cottey College has been selected out of nearly 8,000 postsecondary schools as a recipient of the 2017 Best Value School award.  The award is issued by University Research and Review (URR) at http://www.bestvaluecolleges.org/about-bvc.php, a company dedicated to improving the process of how a student selects a postsecondary school.

“In the last two years, Cottey has been privileged to be recognized by several ranking organizations.  This honor from University Research and Review combines criteria centered on cost, results, and most importantly, assessments by current and past students,” said Dr. Jann Weitzel, president of Cottey College.

Dr. Jann Weitzel accepted the award on behalf of Cottey College from URR Founder Joseph Schmoke.  Schmoke stated, “It is our distinguished pleasure to present the award to Cottey College.  We hope current students and alumnae take pride in this honor, and urge that anyone searching for a quality, reasonably priced college education strongly considers Cottey.”

The committee that reviewed more than 100 nominees out of the thousands of eligible schools is made up of former university presidents, CEO, provosts and professors.  Schools cannot pay to receive the award.  The award is earned through the nomination and committee evaluation process.   Cottey was chosen by the committee because it passed rigorous standards including a combination of cost, accreditation, variety and quality of school programs, and student and alumnae satisfaction with the institution.

Statements such as the following from a Cottey alumna on the URR website played an important role in the selection process. “I cannot express how much this school changed my life. I feel like I got one of the greatest educations out there. The professors know you as individuals, and push you to be the best you can possibly be. Outside of the classroom, everyone is there to support you. You have a school of 350 maximum sisters, not just classmates. You can be who you want to be here. You don’t have to struggle for the attention of your professors, your peers, anyone.”

“It goes without saying that prospective enrollees are inundated with college materials and making the right choice about a college can be challenging,” said Carla Farmer, vice president for marketing and strategic communication.  “University Research and Review offers a tailored approach to selecting a college or university.”

“Our committee prides itself on combining our extensive experience, knowledge of postsecondary education and insight into what provides students with good value when selecting a Best Value award recipient,” says Schmoke.

Cottey College will retain the Best Value School award for one year. Award recipients must re-qualify every year.

Available for interviews

• Jann Weitzel, president of Cottey College, jweitzel@cottey.edu
• Joseph Schmoke, founder University Research and Review, Best Value School award committee chair, js@urandr.org, 561-594-1110 or 561-289-4102 (cell)