Key to College Success is Getting Involved; Cottey College Among the Top 10 Colleges That Do This Best

U.S. News & World Report announces that Cottey College has been named to its Top 10 Colleges Where Joining a Club Is Easy. The same ranking organization also ranked Cottey as one of the 2017 Top Regional Colleges in the Midwest.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the move away from home and becoming used to an unfamiliar place can be difficult. The key is to achieve a sense of belonging by making new friends. Social clubs, of which Cottey has more than 40, allow students to bond with their classmates.

“At Cottey, where our students come from around the country and around the globe, we believe in offering students a wide range of activities. Loneliness is often cited among college students as a reason for leaving college. Cottey has achieved solid retention and engagement results by offering more than 40 registered organizations and special interest clubs, each with an average of ten members. According to U.S. News & World Report, the 1,195 ranked schools reporting information about their clubs and organizations in this survey had memberships more than seven times greater than that of the top 10 schools that received this recognition,” said Dr. Jann Weitzel, president of Cottey College. “Larger organizations do not offer all students the opportunity to be actively involved and assume leadership positions.”

“A Cottey student has the opportunity to organize a new club if one is not currently offered on campus,” added Dr. Weitzel. “Faculty and staff are eager to help students feel at home through serving as advisors to clubs and organizations.”
Among registered organizations on campus, Cottey’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa is one of the charter members of this international honor organization and has the distinction of being the oldest continually active chapter in the nation. More recently, a chapter of Alpha Chi, a collegiate honor society recognizing achievements in general scholarship for senior level students was added. Additionally, students can join clubs related to human rights; diversity; Golden Keys, an honorary ambassador organization; and clubs related to their field of study.

Studies indicate that students become connected through campus organizations which helps them build community; discover interests; and build a resume.

The U.S. News Short List is separate from their overall rankings. The Short List is a vehicle for magnifying individual aspects of a college that will provide a way for students and parents to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas, according to the U.S. News announcement. The ten colleges receiving this ranking enroll fewer than 2,500 students with a majority classified as liberal arts colleges.

ABOUT COTTEY COLLEGE: Cottey College, located in Nevada, Missouri, is owned and supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood making it the only nonsectarian college in the United States owned by women for women. Cottey draws students from more than 40 states and 20 countries with an emphasis on leadership programming through the Serenbetz Institute for Women’s Leadership, Social Responsibility and Global Awareness. In 2016, Cottey was listed at number 15 out of 49 institutions of higher education in the State of Missouri by BestValuesSchools.com and among the Top Regional Colleges in the Midwest by www.usnews.com/colleges.