A Productive Summer, An Exciting New Year
As our first student-athletes return for Upper School sports camps this week, I’m feeling grateful for a productive summer and excited for the new academic year. Classes start at all levels the week of August 25.
Meanwhile, we have plenty of good news to report. Principia College was just named to Money magazine’s list of top 50 colleges nationwide, based on measures of educational quality, affordability, and career outcomes. With an estimated average net price of a degree of just $65,500, Principia is the least expensive school on the list. Our students are getting a remarkable value. Check out the Money rankings in detail.
Also in this issue of PrincipiaWire, you can read about the many facility improvements that took place at the School this summer. And don’t miss the inspiring story of our College solar car team’s triumphs during the American Solar Challenge in late July.
We enjoyed welcoming lifelong learners to the College for Summer Session in June. That was followed by a very successful reunion at the College, attracting an enthusiastic group of alumni to Elsah for lots of smiles and reminiscing. As part of the reunion, it was my privilege to present the David K. Andrews Distinguished Alumni Award to Warren Clinton and Dr. George Moffett, both members of the College Class of 1965.
Also during reunion, a group of about 100 alumni and friends met with me to discuss the future of Eliestoun, the historic and beloved house high on the Mississippi River bluffs of our campus. The building has been vacant for several decades and currently has no programmatic use. I shared with the group that there are more than $150 million in priorities ahead of Eliestoun on the College campus master plan. Currently, the Eliestoun structure is an attractive nuisance that creates liability for Principia.
In response to requests from some current staff, alumni, and friends, Principia is supportive of efforts by an outside group known as Friends of Eliestoun to raise $100,000 by December 2014. At the meeting, I announced that we will not be forced to demolish the building if the community is able to raise $100,000 by the end of the calendar year. If this fundraising goal is met, it will allow a detailed plan with specific costs to be developed.
Depending on the scope of the project, restoration of the building would cost anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million. The clock has started ticking on a two-year window during which we must have the plans and funds in place for the entire restoration project. All funds will be received into a separate entity not controlled by Principia and will be applied only to the Eliestoun project. If the seed money of $100,000 is not received by December 31, 2014, any unspent funds will be returned to donors.
If you are interested in receiving more information or making a pledge, please check the Friends of Eliestoun Facebook page. It provides a form with information on how to pledge a donation. You can also e-mail questions to friendsofeliestoun@gmail.com.
You may have noticed that this column is now titled “President’s Update” rather than “CE Update.” As part of Principia’s institution-wide reorganization that took effect July 1, the chief executive position has now become president of Principia. As announced in February, Travis Brantingham has stepped in as School principal. At the College, Joe Ritter is serving as academic dean. Three vice presidents will oversee administration, finance/operations, and external relations for all of Principia.
This top-level organizational chart provides an overview of the reorganized governance model. I hope it will be clear that this new model is designed to promote and support Principia’s Policy 15 that the school “always be conducted as one institution.”
This year’s Principia-wide metaphysical theme is “ . . . love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). We will be focusing on embracing and supporting each other’s individual practice and the community’s collective practice of Christian Science. Everyone who comes to Principia notices that there is something different here—a feeling and an atmosphere that is unique and powerful. We recognize a key component of that defining difference is the pure love Christian Science enables each of us to express.
I very much hope to see each of you on campus this year—as students, parents, alumni, or treasured friends. Enrollment for students at all levels is still open. It’s not too late to send a promising young Christian Scientist our way. As Money magazine is recognizing, we are working hard—with wonderful donor support—to make sure financial considerations never stand in the way of a student who is ready for the challenging curriculum, transforming opportunities, and lifelong friendships that Principia offers students of all ages.