Tuition, Room and Board To Increase - Curry College

More documents

Recommendations

Info

4 THE CURRIER TIMES APRIL 2011Curry Web SiteGets a Face LiftBy Erin PowersAs the current school year comes toa close, some changes at Curry are onthe horizon...and on the Web. A majorredesign of the college’s Web site hasbeen underway for about a year now, andfinishing touches are about all that’s left.With prospective students increasinglyusing the Internet to evaluate their collegeoptions, it was imperative that Curry’ssite receive a face lift of sorts, said FranJackson, director of communication atCurry, whose office led the redesigneffort. The current Web site, www.curry.edu, was launched in 2004 with aMicrosoft content management systemthat is now out of date. So, last May, thecollege decided it was time for a changeand began a yearlong, multi-phasedproject that is expected to launch bysemester’s end.“The design of the new templates allowfor the use of much larger images,” saidJackson. “These templates help reflect the‘feel’ of the campus by showing dynamicphotography of students and facilities thatwill aid prospective students in picturingthemselves at Curry College.”According to a 2010 survey of highschool students by the enrollmentmanagementconsulting firm Noel-Levitz, 24 percent said theydidn’t apply to a particularcollege because they had a badexperience on that college’sWeb site, namely not findingthe information they wanted.Online applications, campus visitrequest forms, cost calculators—afederal requirement starting in thefall—and online course catalogswere the most desirable content,students reported.In addition to forms and data,Curry’s new Web site—to launchin May—will offer a plethora ofvisuals and videos in an effortto “show, not tell,” according toJohn Eagan, Curry’s Web administrator.If a prospective student wanted to checkout the fitness center of the gym, forexample, they will soon have the optionto watch a video or take a virtual tour. Andinstead of reading a lengthy paragraphabout the new Student Center, users willbe able to simply scroll through a seriesof photos—the site will use a carrouselsystem for some photos, allowing iPhoneusers to scroll via touch-screen—orwatch a short video describing what thebuilding has to offer.The Noel-Levitz survey found that 52Curry’s new Web site, to launch in May, will feature more videos and photography to capture the feel ofthe campus and the interest of prospective students.percent of students reported watchingvideos about a prospective college, butonly 10 percent said they did so viaYouTube. Videos about student life andacademics ranked the highest in studentinterest, at 46 percent and 30 percent,respectively.“We believe the new site will be highlyusable and functional, with intuitive,direct and logical navigation,” saidJackson.Jackson said the process took a yearbecause it wanted to repeatedly gauge theneeds and wants of students, faculty, staffand administrators. The Web redesignteam questioned many different groups,searching for anecdotal feedback in aneffort to form a significant road map thatwould eventually sculpt an effective Website, she added.The new site will use Ingeniux as itscontent-management system, enablinggreater flexibility in adding newinformation online. “The CMS facilitatescollaboration with all departmentsacross campus in updating the Website,” said Jackson, “collaboration whichis critically important to keep the sitecurrent and engage visitors to returnagain and again.”Ingmar SterlingToo Cool for PoolBy Andrew Blom“Everyone in the Pool!” It’s a phrase common aroundoutdoor swimming facilities, but not the swimming poolhere at Curry.“We have a pool?” asked Mike Warner, a sophomoreEnglish major.The outdoor swimming pool, located on North Side,next to the outdoor basketball courts, is not filled duringthe academic school year, but will soon be in use for thesummer months. According to Building & Grounds, the ingroundpool was built in the early 1970’s, originally as partof a contract with summer conferences and sports camps.Since then, the pool has been filled regularly duringthe summer months, from mid-June to late August at thelatest. During these months, the fenced-off pool is used forSummer PAL, traditional students taking summer courses,and campers here for athletics or cultural opportunities inthe Greater Boston area. The pool is in high demand duringthese months, and a lifeguard is on duty full time.But according to some students, the pool should alsobe made available during the school year. “It should beopened if we could use it appropriately, which is hard for alot of us,” said Erin Cooney, a junior education major.Of course, the weather in Massachusetts has somethingto do with the limited schedule, as it still gets cold in April.The pool carries no costs to students while it remainsclosed, said Richard Sullivan, the college’s chief financialofficer, and it helps produce revenue in the summer as anadditional draw for summer camps to choose Curry.Housing Selection LeavesLittle Room for ImprovementNew processes get good marks from students, staffersBy Conor McDonaldIn years past, the housing selection process at Currycould make even the calmest of students want to pullout their hair in frustration. Long lines and a gymovercrowded with annoyed students led to a stressfulenvironment.But according to those who took part in this year’shousing selection process, on April 6 and 7, thingsactually went relatively smoothly. Residence Lifereported that they processed 760 students during thecourse of both nights.Unlike last spring, when somestudents were in the StudentCenter gym until midnighttrying to find out where theywould be living, this year’sprocess ended at 10 on bothselection nights. Long lines weregenerally avoided and there were minimal issues, saidErik Muurisepp, director of Residence Life & Housing,who called it “a huge leap from last year.”Although the actual selection days went smoothly,students were left waiting in anticipation to find outtheir lottery numbers. A delay pushed back the lotterynumber notification date from Monday, March 28 toFriday, April 1. The Web portal described the delay as“technical difficulties.”Muurisepp said the delay was caused by the newonline payment system. This year, students could paytheir deposits online instead of having to go the financialoffice. “We wanted to offer students the option to payonline at any time, not just when the finance departmentwas open,” he said.Also new to this year’s housing selection processwas the suite application form, which was used to make“I wouldn’tchange anything.”sure that all students had paid their housing depositson time. In years past, many students found out onlyon housing selection night that they could not choosea suite because they failed to pay their deposits. Thiswould leave students scrambling to find another personto fill their suite.The new form was due April 4 and gave ResidenceLife the chance to verify eligibility. Muurisepp said hewas pleased with this addition because it gave students achance to rectify a situation before it became a problem.“I think it helped tremendously,” he said.It also drastically removed theamount of people that needed tobe in the gym. This year, only oneperson—deemed a “suite leader”—had to go to selection night. Thisled to a much more efficient, fastermovingsystem that helped thehousing selection process end earlier, Muuriespp said.“It was organized, for the most part,” said sophomorebusiness major, Ethan Lanoff, who was happy with hisroom in The Suites. “I wouldn’t change anything. It wasgood.”Some first-year students, however, said they foundthe process a bit intimidating. “I got a decent lotterynumber, but the actual process of housing selectionwas nerve-racking,” said freshman Devin Lucy, anursing major. “I didn’t want to get stuck with anawful room I would have to live in for a year.” Shesaid she was hoping to get a corner room in 886, butwas not able to.As for next year, Muurisepp said he hopes toimprove communication with students about deadlines,especially the housing deposit. Late deposits caused themost problems for students this year, he added.— sophomore Ethan Lanoff
APRIL 2011 THE CURRIER TIMES 5State Treasurer to GiveCommencement AddressCurry graduationceremony May 15Courtesy PhotoBy Nick IronsideSteve Grossman, the treasurer of theCommonwealth of Massachusetts, will givethis year’s commencement address at Curry’sgraduation ceremony May 15. Grossman,who was the CEO and chairman of GrossmanMarketing Group in Somerville prior to beingelected state treasurer in 2010, has long beenactive in Democratic politics, but it’s his familythat he speaks of with the greatest passion.Grossman has made his living throughthe family business, formerly known as theMassachusetts Envelope Company, that hisgrandfather started in 1910. He says he workedhand-in-hand with his father, Edgar, for 25years, and “never had an argument.” Whenhis dad passed away in 1999, Grossman tookcontrol of the business and handed over the dayto-daymanagement of the company to his twooldest sons, David and Ben, after winning publicoffice last year.A longtime Newton, Mass., resident,Grossman received his undergraduate degreefrom Princeton University and an MBA fromthe Harvard Business School. Outside of thefamily business, he served as chairman ofthe Massachusetts Democratic Party, servedthree years as the chairman of the DemocraticNational Committee under President BillClinton, was president and chairman of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, and served asthe national chairman of former Vermont Gov.Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign.He recently spoke to The Currier Times inanticipation of his commencement address.CT: When you first started working in the “realworld,” what surprised you the most?Grossman: At the end of the day, if you want tosucceed in business, it’s all about the customerand there are four things you must offercustomers at all times: great service, qualityof the product, value for their money, andprofessionalism every step of the way.If Curry College wants you to leave after fouryears having had a really positive experience,they have to give you the same things.CT: What are the three most important attributesfor a person to have to be successful in theworking world?Grossman: They have to remember that themost important word in the English language isthe word “we,” and the least important word isthe word “I.” Successful people are successfulbecause they are part of teams.No. 2 is be a great listener. My father toldme many, many years ago, ‘Steve, you wereborn with one mouth and two ears. Use themin that proportion.’ Listeners learn, and goodlisteners take what they learn and implement itsuccessfully.The third principle is, when you don’t knowthe answer to a question, don’t make oneup. Humility is a very important quality todemonstrate in everything that you do.CT: What is your most vivid college memory?Grossman: It was all about the relationshipsI built. There’s a quote from the great IndianNobel Prize-winning author RabindranathTagore—Rabindranath Tagore won the NobelPrize around the turn of the 20 th century—andhe said, ‘All life is relationships.’I built a lifetime of relationships in my yearsin college, and I continue to maintain thoserelationships with people I haven’t seen in yearsbut still talk to on the phone, and people I see allthe time at various places. Those relationshipsreally made college a memorable experiencebeyond the quality of the education that I got.Ten Years of CurryCommencement Speakers2010: Richard J. Daniels,president and chief executive officerof GateHouse Media New England2009: Joan Wallace-Benjamin,president and chief executive officerof The Home for Little Wanderers2008: Donald E. Rodman,president of Rodman Ride forKids and Rodman Ford, Lincoln-Mercury2007: Dr. David A. Fedo,Curry College’s retiring vicepresident and academic dean2006: Timothy P. Cahill,Massachusetts State Treasurer andReceiver General2005: Rep. Stephen F. Lynch,Democratic congressman(9 th district)2004: Jack Williams,Emmy Award-winning CBS4Boston news anchor2003: Jeffrey Toobin,Emmy Award-winning writer andABC-CNN legal analyst2002: Dr. Michael F. Collins,president and chief executive officerof the Caritas Christi Health CareSystem, Chief Justice Margaret H.Marshall, Massachusetts SupremeJudicial Court, and John J. Santilli,chairman of the Curry board oftrustees and president of the Centerfor Automobiles2001: Dr. John P. Hamill,chairman and chief executiveofficer of Sovereign Bank NewEngland, and Thomas W. Payzant,superintendent of the Boston PublicSchool systemCourtesy PhotoCurry to HonorRuth Ellen FitchRuth Ellen Fitch will receivean Honorary Doctorate degreeat Curry College’s 2011commencement ceremony,May 15.Fitch is president andCEO of the Dimock Center,located in Boston. The Centerprovides health and humanservices to communities inthe Boston urban area.Before her current job,Fitch spent more than 20years practicing law.Look WhoElse Is TalkingBabson College (Wellesley, Mass.):Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, andWilliam Drayton, founder and CEOof Ashoka: Innovators for the PublicEndicott College (Beverly, Mass.):Baroness Sue Campbell, Commanderof the Order of the British EmpireLasell College (Newton, Mass.):Sen. Scott Brown, Republican U.S.Senator from MassachusettsQuinnipiac University (Hamden,Conn.): Mitch Albom, Detroit FreePress sports columnist and book authorRegis College (Weston, Mass.):Liz Walker, ordained minister andformer WBZ-TV news anchorWheaton College (Norton, Mass.):Richard Stengel, managing editorof Time magazineWheelock College (Boston, Mass.):Mary Robinson, former presidentof Ireland and former UnitedNations High Commissionerfor Human Rights
Page 2: 2 THE CURRIER TIMES APRIL 2011Campu

Tuition, Room and Board To Increase - Curry College

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?