News

With more than a decade of experience in the areas of experiential learning, local-to-global partnerships and student development, Gretchen Mielke has been named the new executive director of The Philadelphia Center. The residential student internship program has been affiliated with the Great Lakes Colleges Association for more than 50 years; Albion College has been the Center’s facilitator since 2017.

In another step toward providing students an opportunity to thrive in a liberal arts environment, Albion College has been awarded a five-year, nationally competitive U.S. Department of Education/TRIO Student Support Services grant totaling more than $1.3 million. In that time period, the grant—which aligns directly with Albion’s shared commitment to purpose, belonging and action—will support 140 students annually who are from low-income or first-generation backgrounds or have disabilities.

The 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings features Albion College as one of the 50 Most Innovative national liberal arts colleges. Albion earned its rank based on a methodology that focuses on innovations made in such areas as curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities. The publication also recognized Albion for its First-Year Experience and its efforts in the area of social mobility.

Albion College President Dr. Mathew Johnson has joined more than 160 college presidents and chancellors in committing to full student voter registration and participation in all elections through the nonpartisan ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “We are committed to working with campus stakeholders to increase electoral participation in 2020 and beyond,” Dr. Johnson said.

Dave Seely, professor of physics, passed away in his Albion home September 3, two weeks shy of his 62nd birthday. An active member of the Albion College faculty from 1992 until the fall of 2019, Seely’s tenure was distinguished for his remarkable devotion to his students, colleagues, department and college.

Detroit ’67 is scheduled to run September 18-20 as an outdoor production on the front steps of Kresge Gymnasium. From the cast members to the audience on the Quad, social distancing will be in effect. So will a certain Briton determination and pride.

Albion College’s commitment to public purpose has been recognized in the 2020 rankings published this week by Washington Monthly. Among liberal arts colleges, the magazine places Albion at No. 2 in Michigan, No. 24 in the Midwest and among the top liberal arts colleges nationally.

Finding strength in numbers and spirit, the students of Albion College’s Class of 2024 were ready for the first day of classes earlier this week. Approximately 540 students, nearly 500 of them first-years, comprise one of Albion’s largest cohorts of entering students in recent history.

With its combination of quality education, size and affordability gaining more attention, Albion College ranked 38th nationally among small colleges—and No. 1 in Michigan—in Money’s Best Colleges for 2020, an in-depth report and listing published this week.

Albion College is featured in the Princeton Review’s Best 386 Colleges, the title of its annual guidebook for 2021. “Change can be seen everywhere,” the profile describes, adding that Albion “puts students in the real world and asks them to research, participate and lead.”