ELCA Colleges and Universities Are 'Best Value'

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) rank among the best in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report's 1998 edition of "America's Best Colleges." When compared with other public and private institutions, 25 of the ELCA's 28 colleges and universities are considered to have high academic standards at affordable costs.
Lutheran universities and colleges have "distinctive markers," said Dr. Ryan LaHurd, president of Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C.=20 "Lutheran schools have a sense of vocation. We believe that there is not a separation between God's kingdom and the world. The world is part of God's working to bring people to God, so a vocation is part of one's service. We believe that any way you work in a legal occupation you have a chance of serving and bringing the world closer to God. I think that these are the kinds of things that you get at a Lutheran college."
Lenoir-Rhyne College is a four-year liberal arts institution. About 1,600 students are enrolled in more than 40 undergraduate degree and master's degree programs in the fields of business, counseling and education.
"One of the problems I think we have in our day is that people have a sort of commodity view of education," said LaHurd. "They think that basically all colleges are the same and chosen on the basis of what is closer to home, which has the best parking and costs the least.
"I think if families started to think about education in its fullest sense, and not in that very narrow sense that our culture tends to orient them toward, they might come back to thinking of a Lutheran college as a very important part of their children's education," LaHurd said.
Leigh Chandler, a student at Lenoir-Rhyne and member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Columbia, S.C., said one of the main reasons he chose Lenoir-Rhyne was for the "personal attention" between faculty and students.
"I wanted to be a name and not a number, "said Chandler. "In other large universities that is all you are. I want professors to know me."=20
"Lutheran colleges and universities have good reputations," said Dr. Arne Selbyg, ELCA director for colleges and universities. "What students like about Lutheran institutions is the personal attention given by the administration and faculty to the student.
"Faculty members make themselves available to students experiencing problems while growing up at a Lutheran school. At other larger institutions, faculty will focus on a particular field of study, such as microbiology, and see that as their only goal, at best. Lutheran institutions are good at microbiology, but they also focus on the student's experience beyond the classroom," he said.
Selbyg added that there is an emphasis on all aspects of learning at Lutheran institutions that allows for students to achieve academic excellence while living in a supportive and healthy campus environment.
While tuition costs at most public and private institutions have increased in the last two decades, LaHurd said a Lutheran education "is affordable but not for everyone. Even the cheapest education is not affordable for everybody. Financial aid is a way that we help assist students make the education affordable," LaHurd said.
In response to public concern about rising education costs, Thiel College, Greenville, Pa., will reduce its tuition by 27 percent for new students entering the college in the fall of 1999. =20
"We want the public to know that we hear their concerns, and we're doing something about it," said Dr. C. Carlyle Haaland, former president of Thiel. Our goal is to make Thiel's quality education affordable to all students." Haaland retired as president on Dec. 31, 1998. Dr. Lance A. Masters, El Cerrito, Calif., was appointed president Jan. 1.
Thiel's tuition price will drop from $13,676 to $9,990, making it "one of the most affordable liberal arts colleges in the nation," Haaland said.
The tuition plan will be introduced on an incremental basis beginning with new students entering in the fall of 1999. Current students will be subject to the former tuition rate but will continue to receive Thiel's grants as part of their financial aid packages. Current students who do not qualify for need-based financial aid will receive special Thiel grants during this transition.
"Because the economy is good, more people can afford to attend high quality colleges and universities, and parents want to invest in their child's future," said Selbyg. "New savings and/or wealth created by the stock market can be used to help pay tuition. In addition, more and more financial aid opportunities are provided for students who cannot afford to pay full price."

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html