My 23rd First Day of School

Today is the first day of the Fall Semester here and I think I’m ready.  I should be.  This is my 23rd first day of school and that doesn’t count my childhood, high school, or my own college days.

I love the beginning.  It’s busy, chaotic at times, and I still get a feeling of ‘new’ after all these years.  I try to capture that new feeling because it is new for the students I serve.  They get lost in the building that I know like the back of my hand.

I have the things I need to get me through the day.  Check out the styling safety glasses.  They aren’t even brown this year.  They are clear.  Perfect (after that vain attempt I had in my early years to match my clothes.)  I have a new pair of ear plugs that I rely on in some parts of the complex.  I have a new box of Band-aids for the little school mishaps.  I have a new pen that the college provided on the first in-service day.  I tote a small water bottle with me all day and just keep refilling it from the fountains. Finally, I have an apple and some other healthy snacks for when I’m hungry.  There will be absolutely no time for that back-to-school yarn or back-to-school novel that I bought, but there will be time soon enough.

Washington Monthly’s Top Post-secondary Schools in the Country for 2010

I work in higher education and I have school on my mind . . . . so I found the following information interesting.

Washington Monthly Magazine just published its ranking for the top schools in the country.  There are several categories, with like schools being ranked together.

In the category of National Universities, the University of California, San Diego, was ranked #1.  To read the other 99 of the top 100 National Universities, click the link.

In the category of Liberal Arts Colleges, Morehouse College, GA, was ranked #1.  To read the other 99 of the top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges, click the link.

In the category of Master’s Universities, St. Mary’s University, TX, was ranked #1.  To read the other 99 of the top 100 Master’s Universities, click the link.

In the category of Baccalaureate Colleges, Bard College,  Simons Rock, MA, was ranked #1.  To read the other 99 of the top 100 Baccalaureate Colleges, click the link.

In the category of Community Colleges, Saint Paul College, St. Paul, MN, was ranked #1.  To read the other 49 of the top 50 Community Colleges, click the link.

To round out the lists, Washington Monthly published a list of drop-out factories, as determined by the graduation rate.  To read the list of the top 50 drop-out factories, click the link.  The graduation rates are astonishingly low in that group, with none on the list having a graduation rate above 18%.