Stonehill Receives National Attention

By Brian Reilly

In the span of two years Stonehill College has made a jump from zero rankings in the Princeton Review to five top 20 awards.

The process of becoming a nationally recognized college started long before Stonehill finally received a ranking from the Princeton Review.

“About 10 years ago we sat down and began discussing how we could much more consciously tell [Stonehill’s] story,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Katie Conboy.

Conboy said the first step to telling the story was to eliminate Stonehill’s Master’s programs. By removing the programs Stonehill’s balance was tilted towards liberal arts education. As a result, Stonehill moved into the more competitive “liberal arts college” category and began establishing itself alongside other prestigious New England schools, she said.

The next step for Stonehill was to consistently market itself nationally, said Conboy. This is because much of a college’s ranking comes from its reputation with alumni, current students, students’ families, and even other colleges across the country.

“We had often been called a ‘hidden gem’, and being hidden is not always a good thing,” said Conboy. “We reached out to the Princeton Review and asked them to take a look at us. The first year they reviewed us we suddenly started seeing all of these great rankings.”

According to the Princeton Review website, in nationwide rankings Stonehill was 13th for most popular study abroad program, 19th for best career services, ninth for “everyone plays” intramurals, 10th for most accessible professors and 10th for best town-gown relations.

Stonehill was ranked in the “Best Northeastern Colleges” and was named to the list of the “373 Best Colleges” by the Princeton Review. It was also called the 105^th best liberal arts college in America by the US News and World Report.

Many students agree with the rankings.

“Stonehill has amazing professors,” said Melanie Kesler, a sophomore. “I love knowing that I can turn to my professors for help at any time of the day. I also appreciate the fact that they are there for me in both my academic and personal life.”

Several other students shared that sentiment.

“I like how every professor knows you. If you take a class with a professor you’re almost guaranteed a personal relationship,” said Corinna Graham, a senior.

Graham, along with others, also touched on the ease with which students can get involved in different activities at Stonehill.

“One of my favorite things about Stonehill is that students can get involved at any time. As a senior I am doing some activities for the first time, and I still feel like I am really making a difference,” she said.

Junior Executive Board member Shannon Roark shared the same enthusiasm for being able to make a difference at Stonehill.

“I really like how well the administration listens to its students,” Roark said. “When the Executive Board reviewed the progress the college has made and the changes that have been put into place since the Town Hall last spring, I was really impressed at how much they had done over a short period of time.”

Even with the school’s willingness to make changes for students, there is still a long way to go before everyone will be satisfied.

“When I talk to students their suggestions usually fall into three categories,” said Conboy. “And all three categories are important and attainable.”

Conboy said students want a focus on sustainability, a more vibrant intellectual culture, and improved advising.

While many students’ concerns do fall within these three categories, there have also been suggestions that range from purchasing more relevant books for the library to creating a meditation space on campus.

“It is hard to pick something to change about Stonehill because I sit on the Senate and I know a lot of things are being worked on,” said Eamon Bencivengo, a senior. “One thing I would really like to see though is more honesty with the alcohol policy. I think the school needs to reset its goals to create a sound policy with balanced enforcement.”

Rachel Kulig, another senior, believes her undeclared advising freshman year was weak for a school that markets itself to undeclared students.

“I had a hard time deciding upon a major when I first began at Stonehill, and I was frustrated at the lack of support my advisor offered me,” she said. “[I felt like the school] just assigned me a random professor who knew very little about the core requirements.”

While praising the ease with which students can get involved at Stonehill, Roark also sees problems with the communication between students and administrators.

“I'm part of the Executive Board, and I know we reviewed a lot of the changes that have been made at the Student Assembly and Town Hall, but that didn't even reach a significant portion of students,” she said.