Table Of Content

Picture an outstanding college. What happens in the classrooms? What is the campus like? TABLE OF CONTENTS How friendly are the students and professors? Chances are good that your picture looks a lot like Centenary College. Introduction Ac Centenary, we cherish our heritage as a small, progressive liberal arts college with a 175-year tradition of value-driven education, academic excellence and athletic Quality.2-3 accomplishment. Small classes and innovative curricular programs have earned us a rating as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country, and our professors — teachers and Results..4-5 scholars of the highest degree — inspire students to excel in the classroom and beyond. You could say that an education is all about the future. What will the world be like Academics.....6-15 tomorrow, and how will you help shape that world? Our students are well prepared for life’s challenges due to a rigorous academic program laced with intercultural experiences, career Campus.....16-17 preparation and service-based learning such as internships and volunteer programs. We call it The Centenary Plan. Student Life.18-23 Regardless of where you attend college, you are about to set off on an incredible journey of self-discovery and accomplishment. I would like you to think about what makes Athletics...24-25 an outstanding education. Think about what you want to achieve during your lifetime Think about the advantages of a small and friendly academic community of the highest Location caliber. In short, think about Centenary College of Louisiana. We hope you’ll visit our campus soon and discover for yourself what makes Centenary an outstanding college Value.28-29 Sincerely, Visit 30-31 CXLX President Kenneth Schwab Profile.32 Think about At Centenary College of Louisiana, we know that any important choice it. requires thinking about alternatives. Before choosing a college, we invite you to think about the difference between large and small classes. Think about professors that know your name. Think about a tight-knit campus community where involvement in student activities is encouraged. Think about graduating in four years, not five or six. Think about opportunities. Think about values and ideas that shape society. Think about price. Given the choice, we think you’ll like it here. i Q u A L T Y The Distinction of Excellence Think about a college where quality permeates 65 acres of a beautifully wooded campus located in an historic neighborhood. Imagine a remarkably gifted faculty, 92 percent holding Ph.D.s, and consider what happens when classes are small (averaging 14 students) and full of bright, interesting friends from 26 states and 8 countries Witness the competitive fire of athletes from an NCAA Division I college (Centenary is the smallest member of that select association). Applaud an outstanding cultural environment hosting year-round theatrical productions, musical performances ranging from opera to jazz, permanent and touring art exhibitions, and a distinguished array of visiting speakers MBS. yVU These are a few of the reasons why national publications such as Exclusive Rankings The Top 100 Schools for Your Money The Bargains in Your Area The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report have consistently ranked Centenary among the finest liberal arts colleges in the country HowTo Win Financial Aid And, according to Money Magazine, we also offer one of the best values for and Scholarships Key Facts on 1,000 Schools your money Our remarkably high law school and medical school acceptance rates also point to the quality of a Centenary education and the value of an excellent liberal arts background. How can one of the smallest accounting programs in the state produce top scoring students on the CPA exam? How have Centenary students been able to present original research at academic conferences around the country? To Centenary students, the answers are obvious and found in the thousand little things which make Centenary an outstanding educational experience. Imagine a professor who invites you to dinner. Imagine the thrill of NCAA Division I sports, good times with fraternities and sororities and a plethora of campus organizations that welcome your involvement. In short, imagine University of Richmond what college should be Centre College University of the South Rhodes Furman University Hendrix College Morehouse Birmingham- College Millsaps Southern College College CENTENARY COLLEGE • Southwestern University • Trinity Rollins University College 2 n some ways, less is more. While smaller than most institutions, Centenary College offers an experience of a lifetime. No teaching assistants. No oversized lecture halls. No crowds or hassles. As a result, students at Centenary have more to gain. They enjoy close, one- on-one contact with professors and find opportunities for leadership, service and personal growth in a variety of campus activities. ■ Dr. Beth Leuck, Professor of Biology Centenary is a member of the Associated “Centenary is very Colleges of the South (ACS), a select group competitive, but it’s not of private institutions sharing a common belief in the importance of a quality liberal arts competitive in terms of education. The ACS provides access to study abroad and cooperative programs sponsored student against student. by sister institutions. Other member colleges include Birmingham-Southern College, It’s competitive in that all the Centre College, Furman University, Hendrix students and faculty want College, Millsaps College, Morehouse Courtney McLaughlin College, Rhodes College, Rollins College, everyone to succeed.” Southwestern University, Trinity University, the University of Richmond and the Courtney McLaughlin ’94 University of the South. (Ft. Worth, TX) Think about it. « 3 A Degree With Value Ultimately, the result of an outstanding education is a balanced and successful life. In between there is challenge, hope, ambition, reflection and accomplishment. For Centenary graduates, the sky is the limit. “Centenary gives you a wide exposure and you can talk to people about a variety of things. I feel that a liberal arts background will take me farther than if I had specialized in one area,” says Lauren “Rocky” Bower-Parra ’92 (Stark, LA). She earned the top score in the state on the CPA exam and was hired by the national accounting firm of Peat Marwick upon graduating. Graduates of Centenary’s rigorous pre-medical program are well prepared for the competitive world of medical school. In fact, Centenary has an exceptionally strong reputation for placing students in the medical school of their choice. Impressive graduate school acceptance rates in most departments — including pre-med, business and law — have reinforced Centenary’s reputation as an excellent educational environment. In addition, graduates of the Education Department score well above the national average on the National Teacher Examinations and Centenary’s athletes have one of the highest graduation rates for any Division I school in the country. The statistics are good, but the real value of a Centenary education is seen in the remarkable diversity of our alumni. They are artists, doctors, 1 entrepreneurs, lawyers, scholars, scientists, athletes—the list goes on and on—all bound by the common experience of small classes, caring teachers and a value-driven academic and social community. 4 A ccomplishments are widespread at the University of Chicago. Timothy among Centenary graduates who Jones ’88 is a graduate student in voice at draw upon a classic liberal arts education the University of Michigan. The fact that and superior career preparation. For he placed out of all theory and music example, Rhodes Scholar Hoyt Duggan ’60 history requirements attests to the excel- went on to receive a Ph.D. in medieval lent preparation he received at Centenary’s literature from Princeton University. Hurley School of Music. And John Author Paul Greenberg ’58 won the Bundrick ’93 attended the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Don Scroggin ’66 holds a British American Drama Academy in Ph.D. from Harvard and a law degree from Oxford, England and credits his perfor¬ John Bundrick as Hamlet Yale. Gymnast Kathy Johnson ’81 took mance as Hamlet at Centenary as home medals from the 1984 Olympics in instrumental in his gaining acceptance to Los Angeles. Karen Lundford ’90 received this competitive summer program. ■ “Centenary also tries to expose the prestigious Mellon Fellowship to study students to things beyond the campus. “Clearly, I owe a great deal to CAREER CENTER I went on a summer program at the Career preparation is a significant part of a Centenary. Were I not a student here, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Centenary education. Conveniently located I certainly wouldn’t he writing and within the student union, Centenary’s Career It really got me interested in research Center helps students enter the job market producing television shows today. with an advantage. Whether it’s resumes or and being around other scientists interview skills, the director of the center will This is literally where my career began. gladly offer advice. The center also hosts enriched my experience at Centenary. corporate recruiters and sponsors a variety of I remember the exact moment like it was workshops designed to help Centenary One of the things I do now is run the students and graduates compete in today’s yesterday. I was standing on the stage of ever-tightening job market. summer research program. I’m getting the Marjorie Lyons Playhouse, having given what I humbly thought was the Centenary students to come down greatest acting audition of my life. The here in the summer and hopefully I director walked over to me, patted me on will bring similar enrichment to their the back and said so simply, so succinctly, learning experience at Centenary. ” ‘Rick, have you ever considered writing?’ Dr. Dianna Redbum ’64 Professor of Neurobiology & Anatomy It was a question for which I will be Professor of Opthomology Assistant Dean of Research Training forever beholding. It was, indeed, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston Dr. Mary Ann Welbom, Director of the Career Center Houston, TX turning point in my life. ” Rick Hawkins ’73 Executive Producer “Major Dad" President, Brick Production Think Screenwriter about Los Angeles, CA it. 5 A C A D E M C S A Spectacular Challenge Upon arriving at Centenary, Jamal LeBlanc ’92 (Leesville, LA) was told that he might be in very small classes of three or four. He didn’t believe it. Three years later he points to several independent studies he’s done one-on-one with a Ph.D. “They were right,” he says, acknowledging the uniquely individual attention Centenary students regularly receive. At Centenary, the classroom is an extraordinary place. The average class has 14 students—some are even smaller — and they are all taught by experienced professors, not novice teaching assistants. “When you’re in a class with 11 people, they know whether you’ve done your work or not,” says Mandy Rogers ’96 (Bossier City, LA). But the classroom is only a part of the whole picture. Chief among Centenary’s innovative curricular programs is The Centenary Plan, a three-pronged program that enhances traditional classroom experiences with service-based learning (such as CENTENARY working at an after school center for children), exploring a career through an internship and studying in another culture. In addition, the unique May Module term allows professors and students to creatively explore one subject in- depth for an entire month. For many, it may mean a chance to experience another part of the world and fulfill the final leg of the Centenary Plan. For example, you may find yourself in London studying theatre first-hand with Professor Robert Buseick, chairperson of the Theatre Department. Or you could be with fellow geology students in the Grand Canyon, analyzing tectonic activity. For language majors, the May Module often becomes an intercultural experience as they travel abroad and strengthen their language skills. It all adds up to a Jr YE Jf jfc# spectacular learning r-i y ’ ' r- environment, whether that means quiet contemplation of a painting at the Turner Art Center, an earnest :wL ’A discussion about the significance of gene splicing, or a friendly debate about is, ■ is jjjjjgffiE national politics. At 5S Centenary, learning is a full¬ wm?- *1 time endeavor. vy j:- • May Module to 6 T he notion of a liberal arts to the world outside the classroom and the “I have found that all of my education began with the realities of the work place, while study in ancient Greeks. An education that another culture fosters first-hand knowl¬ teachers will go out of their way to prepared one for a well-rounded life edge of the world’s diversity. included science, humanism, theology and Above all, Centenary students receive help me whenever I have a the arts. At Centenary, these ideals are a first-rate liberal arts education in an alive and well throughout the curriculum. environment characterized by Judeo- problem. I couldn’t have asked for It goes without saying that fascination— Christian values and the friendly rigor of with eternal ideas and experiences—is a open inquiry. For nearly 175 years, our a better school. Once, I was requirement. For the political science highly competitive academic and profes¬ major, understanding the laws of nature sional programs have fostered some of the having problems with one of my and the art of Van Gogh is on par with nation’s premier educators, artists, scientists, comprehending the subtleties of conflict lawyers, doctors and business pioneers. resolution. Musicians find that (continued) assignments and there was a test mathematics and scientific theory have much in common with music theory. coming up. The professor invited Similarly, an understanding of the ancient Greeks leads to an understanding of today’s me over to her home to study.” complex world. Of course, an outstanding education Sonia Monroe ’94 doesn’t mean knowledge solely for the sake (Shreveport, LA) of knowledge. A true liberal arts education imparts values and a sense of social responsibility. Internships expose students Meadows Museum /■ i k V M Think about Mr. Bruce Allen, Associate Professor of Art it. 7 ACADEMICS Shared Wisdom For geology professor Dr. Austin Sartin, teaching at Centenary has special significance. He remembers when he was a student— at Centenary —and says he wouldn’t have graduated if it hadn’t been for the faculty. These days, he heads Centenary’s nationally recognized Geology Department while enjoying the distinction of having been named Louisiana Professor of the Year. Professor Sartin is one of a number of Centenary graduates who have returned to share their knowledge with today’s students. Physics professor Dr. Juan Rodriguez ’80 is another. Like all of the science faculty at Centenary, he believes it is important for students to be involved in research. Upon receiving a National Science Foundation grant to study optical heating in biological molecules, he enlisted the help of two students, Craig Martin ’94 (Longview, TX) and Wayne Westerfield ’94 (Bossier City, LA). Together, they used a laser to charge gaseous molecules with energy and measure the results. Dr. John Turner ’69, professor of education, says that the highest value of a Centenary education lies in the closeness of students and faculty. “I tell my students, ‘Do not let that question linger more than five minutes. I’m as close as the telephone.’” “If I decided to teach, I would want to teach here,” says Wendy Chan ’93 (Pine Bluff, AR), a biology and pre-med major. “If students don’t understand something, you try and help them understand. That’s the kind of teacher I like to have, and at Centenary I’ve had many teachers like that.” 8