Wesleyan College is not surprised by recent information released from the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research (IUCPR) which suggests that students at women’s colleges are better served than their peers at coeducational institutions.

“The IUCPR studies validate what we at Wesleyan College see every day, particularly in the areas of engaged leadership and academic excellence in fields of math and science. These studies are another example of the increasing amount of research showing the advantages of single gender education,” said Wesleyan President Ruth Knox. “What we have known intuitively and anecdotally since 1836 is now supported by a growing mound of empirical evidence. Women simply achieve more and learn more effectively at a women’s college.”

Jillian Kinzie, associate director of the IUCPR and National Survey of Student Engagement Institute for Effective Educational Practice, and a group of IUCPR researchers conducted the study. Researchers relied on data from the NSSE, a survey of college students that assesses the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development. The researchers found that students at women's colleges spend more time on productive activities and gain more from their college experience compared with women at coeducational institutions.

Results reveal that first-year students and seniors at women's colleges report challenging academic experiences and more integrative learning; first-year students at women's colleges perceive greater support for success; women's colleges are more "transfer-friendly"; women's colleges support high student-faculty interaction leading to positive educational differences for women students; classroom conditions at women's colleges encourage first-year students and seniors to collaborate more with peers, actively participate in class and integrate ideas; and that women's colleges foster an environment that fuels women's understanding of self and others, a willingness to work with others and the development of skills associated with career success and leadership.

Wesleyan students corroborate these results across the board. In 2006, 20% of Wesleyan’s new graduates earned their Bachelor of Arts degrees with double majors. More than half of the 2006 graduates have already enrolled in graduate programs or accepted professional positions in their career field. Top majors for 2006 were: biology, chemistry, psychology, business administration, communication, and education. Despite the major field of interest, Wesleyan’s rigorous academic program combined with a foundation of faith and service produced graduates unified through engaged leadership and a commitment to pursue more purposeful lives.

Recent biology and chemistry graduate, Ihunanya Mbata ’06, credits supportive environment and accessible faculty as integral components of success in a rigorous double major course of study. The 4.0 GPA summa cum laude graduate accepted an academic scholarship and enrolled at Wesleyan, just 16 years old, four years ago. This fall she heads to Bethesda, Maryland to accept a one-year research assistantship at the National Institute of Health and plans to enter medical school soon after.

“I will be working in molecular immunology researching autoimmune diseases at the NIH’s national institute of allergy and infectious disease. Then, after medical school and another two years of research,” she said, “I would possibly pursue a humanitarian experience like the Doctors Without Borders program, perhaps someday even returning to Nigeria.”

Early childhood education major Stephanie Griffis, ’06, agrees with the national studies’ emphasis on integrative learning. The magna cum laude graduate transferred from Macon State College at the beginning of her junior year, lived at home, and commuted to school and work each day from nearby Crawford County. Even though she wasn’t a resident student, Griffis said, “I experienced things through attendance at Wesleyan that wouldn’t have been possible at a larger school. Field trips, for example, designed to show us how to integrate social studies, science, and language arts helped me think about how I could incorporate interactive experiences into a traditional classroom curriculum.”

As a third grade teacher at Lake Joy Elementary in Warner Robins, Griffis will now focus on implementing much of what she learned at Wesleyan in her own classroom--citing smaller class size and accessible teachers as important ways to change education in Georgia.

Perhaps the fields of science and education share a common denominator of service to others. But, one might expect students studying economics and business to focus solely on the bottom line. According to recent graduate Lindsay Rosenquist, “There are more leadership opportunities on a smaller campus which helps prepare you for something more purposeful—community leadership instills a greater sense of responsibility.”

Rosenquist graduated summa cum laude with a major in international relations and minors in business and economics. After finishing her Wesleyan coursework a year earlier than expected, she begins graduate study under the Masters International Program this fall. “I’ll be at Illinois State University as a graduate research assistant for the first year. Then, the Peace Corps will place me in an area where I’ll be working with non-government organizations on economic and political related community development projects,” she said. At the end of the three-year experience, Rosenquist will have earned a masters of arts in political science with concentration in community development plus a masters of science in economics with concentration in international trade.

Latoya Stewart, ‘06 magna cum laude graduate with departmental honors, chose psychology as preparation for an enriching career. Equipped with an undergraduate degree, now she heads to Michigan State University to pursue a doctorate in school psychology. Upon completion of the graduate program, Stewart plans to serve in the public school system where she intends to utilize a scientist-practitioner approach to develop and implement evidence-based intervention programs for children at risk of school-based problems.

Stewart feels well prepared; and for that, she credits Wesleyan’s rigorous psychology curriculum, small class sizes which “create a sense of community and teamwork,” and supportive, accessible faculty members. Not only did her faculty advisors introduce her to all the career opportunities available with a degree in psychology; but also, she said, “they showed me what I needed to do in order to be more marketable as a graduate school applicant.” According to this honor graduate, “the fact that Wesleyan is a women's college kept me focused and motivated to achieve only the best. Wesleyan's cultural diversity helped me become a more well-rounded, well-exposed and tolerant individual.”