news on the hill CoNUNDRUM Bellarmine’s in loan forgivenessrecognizeRStudent wins $25,000National rankingsjoMAA Ask any high school student what he or she plans to study in college and continued rise you’ll likely get a blank stare and a heavy sigh – or worse. Of course, many college students change majors Bellarmine University has climbed and many of us in the workforce to its highest-ever spot on U.S. News change careers frequently (which is & World Report’s annual rankings of one of the reasons a liberal arts educa- U.S. colleges. In its 2013 Best Colleges tion is so valuable). In fact, we know of one guy who changed majors six times guide, released in September, U.S. at Bellarmine. (He’s now a productive News & World Report ranked Bellar- member of society.) We thought it mine 11th among Southern regional might be interesting to look at... universities. Last year, the publication ranked the university 14th. ToP 5 MAjoRS This is Bellarmine’s 19th consecut- high schoolers say they want* ive year on the U.S. News list, which Bellarmine junior Katie Tressel recently 1. Undecided is developed based on graduation and received an unexpected Skype call from 2. Education retention rates, peer assessment, faculty a Boston-area financial services com- 3. Nursing resources, student selectivity, financial pany. Executives with SmarterBank told 4. Business Administration resources and alumni giving. Tressel she’d won a national contest to 5. Biology Bellarmine also appears in The have $25,000 in student loans forgiven. *Current high school students who’ve Princeton Review’s 2013 list of The “I’ve never won anything,” said Ms. applied to attend Bellarmine next year Best 377 Colleges, which bases inclu- Tressel, who entered the contest online sion on student surveys. Additionally, last summer after hearing about it from But if they are like last year’s spring the W. Fielding Rubel School of Bellarmine’s financial aid office. “It was graduating class, there’s a good chance Business was included. kind of a shock at first. Now I just feel they’ll graduate with a degree in ... relieved.” ToP 5 DEGREES, 2012 Dr. Anne Bucalos Tressel goes to school full-time, worksA psychology and music major, Ms. 2. Psychology receives state award the weekends, and studies late into the8-hour shifts at McDonald’s duringNursing1. 3. Business Administration night – all in pursuit of becoming a music 4. Communication Dr. Anne Bucalos therapist. It’s a career path she hopes will 5. Biology received the 2012 allow her to help traumatized children. May 2012 undergraduate degrees conferred Distinguished “Music therapists don’t make that Educator Award much, so I was thinking I’d have to work from the Kentucky a second job after graduation to afford my Which all got us to wondering: Does this tell us anything about trends over student loan payments, but maybe nowAssociation of time? What were the... Teacher Educators on that won’t be necessary,” she said. Sept. 28 for her SmarterBank executives traveled to ToP 5 DEGREES, 1954 excellence and leadership in Kentucky’s Louisville in October to recognize Ms. 1, Business Administration educational community, her outstand- Tressel. “We’re so excited to be able to 2. Accounting ing contributions to development of help Katie crush her student debt and 3. History teacher preparation programs, her give her a fresh start,” said Kevin Walk- 4. Chemistry unselfish service to both state and er, co-founder and CEO of SimpleTuit- 5. Sociology national professional organizations, ion, the company behind SmarterBank May 1954 undergraduate degrees conferred and her professional integrity as a role and the sweepstakes. “We know she’ll model for aspiring teachers. make great use of this opportunity.” winter 2013 15
WINTER2013_BELLARMINE MAG
To see the actual publication please follow the link above