Goshen College ranks No. 2 on national magazine's list
GOSHEN, Ind.—Goshen College has ranked second on Washington Monthly's 2019 Bachelor’s College list.
The nonprofit magazine’s Bachelor’s College category is comprised of four-year institutions that award bachelor’s degrees nearly exclusively. The award takes into account three categories: social mobility, research and promoting public service.
“It’s something that we talk about a lot these days at Goshen College is how do we create a campus culture and a campus environment that is welcoming to all of our students, that allows all of our students and encourages them to use their voices in the classroom and in the residence halls and on the sidewalks and in a variety of settings,” Goshen College President Dr. Rebecca Stoltzfus said.
Goshen College made headlines in February when a group of students made the trip to the statehouse to speak out against the contents of a new hate crime bill.
Goshen College came in at number two, just ahead of College of the Ozarks and just behind The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
“I hope it gives them a sense of pride in this place and the community that they’re a part of and that we create together year over year. Our students are a big part of what we offer here because they also create this culture of what we strive for, where people feel welcome,” Stoltzfus said.
The college was also listed as 18th out of nearly 400 colleges in the Midwest for “Best Bang for the Buck.”
Goshen College offers more than 65 areas of study for students as well as a few master’s degree options. Starting in fall 2020, the school is adding two more programs of study: criminal and restorative justice and public health.
Nearly 900 students are enrolled at the college, representing 32 states and 25 countries.
Forty percent of students at Goshen College are first generation students, meaning that they're the first in their family to pursue higher education.
“I think our faculty and staff are just really supportive of these students and go above and beyond to help them be successful on this campus,” Stoltzfus said.
Third-year business and economics student Khampha Stempel says he picked Goshen College after a college search that ranged from Arizona all the way to his home state of Virginia.
“College was definitely a major thing I wanted to do. I’ve always enjoyed learning and education is an important part of my life and I wanted to seek the best places and opportunities where I could find a diverse, global education experience,” Stempel said.
Stempel credits his professors for making the transition from his original major in nursing to his current business-focused program of study.
“Being at a college that is ranked nationally for these accolades is incredible. These rankings, it just represents, I feel, who Goshen is,” Stempel said.