Colby-Sawyer College

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From the College

Colby-Sawyer College, a coeducational, residential, undergraduate college founded in 1837, evolved from the New England academy tradition and has been engaged in higher education since 1928. The College provides programs of study that innovatively integrate the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Through all of its programs, the College encourages students of varied backgrounds and abilities to realize their full intellectual and personal potential so they may gain understanding about themselves, others, and the major forces shaping our rapidly changing world. At present, students come from all over the United States and eight other countries, with nearly 70 percent of the students coming from outside of New Hampshire. Within the last ten years, two suite-style residence halls have been built to accommodate the College’s steady growth in enrollment.

Student athletic involvement occurs at the varsity, club, intramural, and recreational levels. There are ten varsity sports for women (NCAA Division III basketball, cross-country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; ECSC Alpine ski racing; and IHSA riding) and eight for men (NCAA Division III baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field; ECSC Alpine ski racing; and IHSA riding). Athletic successes include a men’s basketball team that competed in the NCAA tournaments from 2001 to 2003; a track and field team that produced 2 All-Americans in 2004 and 2005 and sent individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006; and conference championships for men’s baseball in 1998 and 1999, men’s basketball in 2001–03, women’s volleyball in 1999, 2003, and 2005, and women’s basketball in 1997–99, 2005–06 and 2008. The women’s basketball team also competed in the 2001–04 ECAC tournaments as well as the NCAA tournaments in 1997–99, 2005 and 2008. The women’s volleyball team also made appearances at the NCAA tournaments in 1999, 2003, and 2005. Colby-Sawyer’s equestrian team was the national champion in 1989 and 1994 as well as the reserve national champion in 1998 and has sent riders to the IHSA national team every year since 1987. For the past ten seasons, the Alpine ski racing team has competed in the USCSA National Championships, where, in 2005, they placed both teams within the top three, a school record. The women’s team finished second in 2008. The Alpine ski racing team has produced 70 All-American citations since 1988. The Colby-Sawyer Chargers compete as a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference.

The College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and professional programs also carry the appropriate accreditations. Colby-Sawyer has consistently received recognition as one of the top colleges in its category.

Colby-Sawyer’s 200-acre campus is located on the crest of a hill in New London, New Hampshire. Its beautifully maintained grounds and stately Georgian architecture create a picturesque and safe environment that is conducive to learning. The College is located in the heart of the Dartmouth–Lake Sunapee region, a four-season recreational and cultural community known for the natural beauty of its lakes and mountains. Boston is only 1½ hours south and Montreal is 3½ hours north. Students have access to major cities by College van or public bus. The nearby seacoast at Portsmouth, and surrounding lakes, mountains, and state parks provide opportunities for biking, camping, canoeing, golf, hiking, ice skating, Nordic and Alpine skiing, swimming, and tennis. Arts and cultural opportunities can be found in New London as well as in nearby Concord, the state capital, and Hanover, the home of Dartmouth College.

Colby-Sawyer offers bachelor’s degrees in many fields. Majors include art history; art-graphic design; art-studio art; biology; business administration; child development; communication studies; creative writing; English; environmental sciences; environmental studies; exercise and sport sciences with specializations in athletic training, exercise science, and sport management; history, society and culture; nursing; and psychology. Other programs include a coaching certificate program, and prelaw, premedicine, pre–physical therapy, and preveterinary tracks.

Colby-Sawyer College faculty and staff are excellent at working with students who are undecided on a major and they are highly qualified to help students explore their values, talents, and academic and career interests. At Colby-Sawyer College, it is believed that knowledge and experience nurture each other. Therefore, the combination of classroom learning and professional experience is an integral part of each student’s education.

All students begin their liberal education at Colby-Sawyer by selecting a Pathway Seminar. Students choose a topic they are interested in learning more about, pose questions that are personally relevant, and search for answers through experiences in several liberal arts areas. They return to these themes in a seminar in their sophomore year, applying all they have learned to answer their own questions and share insights with classmates on such topics as “Sound: From Physics to Fantasia” and “Rituals, Excellence, and Challenge: The Ancient and Modern Games.”

Colby-Sawyer’s Wesson Honors Program offers an environment conducive to intellectual exploration and creativity beyond that which is available in the general curriculum. This program is carefully designed to advance and polish critical skills of each participating student.

Through a carefully crafted program offered by the Harrington Center for Career Development, all students are encouraged throughout their four years of study to continue to clarify their interests and goals and to gain practical experiences through student employment, internships, and voluntary service to the community.

Internships are a key element in career development and are required for almost all majors. Colby-Sawyer has an impressive roster of internship opportunities available, and through the internship experience, students often receive their first offer of a permanent position. During the internship, students have an opportunity to work directly with professionals in their field of study while developing valuable contacts who can serve as references and career mentors. Organizations that have recently accepted Colby-Sawyer interns include Merrill Lynch, the Minnesota Twins, Continental Cable, Beth Israel Hospital, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Harvard University Athletic Department, the Buffalo Bisons, the New England Patriots, Nantucket Nectars, the Currier Gallery of Art, the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Olympic Regional Development Authority, Channel 7 (Boston), the Appalachian Mountain Club, and CNN.

Colby-Sawyer encourages students to study abroad for a semester or a year. The study-abroad adviser works closely with students to select an experience and a school best suited to their individual needs and interests. Students have studied in England, Poland, Australia, Spain, New Zealand, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, and many other countries.

Colby-Sawyer’s membership in the fourteen-college New Hampshire College and University Council (NHCUC) allows students to enroll in other NHCUC institutions for a course or for an entire semester.

The Susan Colgate Cleveland Library/Learning Center is housed in a unique five-level structure constructed from two pre–Civil War dairy barns masterfully transformed into a warm and inviting facility that has won regional and national architectural awards. The library/learning center also houses a curriculum lab, an audiovisual room, thirty PC workstations for Internet and library database access, a twelve-station wireless lab, and a networked computer classroom with twenty-five PCs and interactive multimedia teaching equipment. Interlibrary loan service provides access to an extensive array of library holdings throughout New England and the nation.

The magnificent 63,000-square-foot Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center was designed to meet the athletic and recreational needs of Colby-Sawyer College students and members of the local community. This sports center contains a large field house with newly installed maple-wood floors; a suspended walking/jogging track; a six-lane, competition-size swimming pool; and a fitness center furnished with equipment such as StairMasters, Body Master stations, treadmills, rowing ergometers, Nordic cross-country skiing tracks, a Universal gym, stationary bicycles, and a complete selection of free weights. The Hogan Center also houses the Sports Medicine Clinic, which is fully equipped with the latest technology to support the Exercise and Sport Sciences Program.

Opened in 2004, the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center is one of Colby-Sawyer’s finest academic facilities and houses the Natural Science and Environmental Studies Programs. Set against nearby Mt. Kearsarge, this beautiful two-story, 33,000-square-foot building consists of a variety of classrooms, laboratories, and offices as well as a 180-seat lecture hall. One of these laboratories focuses on spatial ecology and performs grant-funded research utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology.

The Academic Development Center at James House provides academic support services for all students. The staff consists of faculty members, learning specialists, and student academic counselors who work with students to strengthen their writing, math, and research skills, as well as their study skills, such as time management, note-taking, and exam preparation. Colby-Sawyer’s English Language and American Culture Program provides support for international students and others whose first language is not English. Among the services available to students with diagnosed learning differences are classroom modifications, personal counseling, and professional as well as peer tutoring.

The nursing program features a Nursing and Health Laboratory containing resources that simulate clinical practice settings. Students also have access to a computer laboratory with software that helps to prepare them for clinical experiences. The nursing program is enriched by its relationship with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, one of the most well-equipped and technologically advanced teaching hospitals in North America.

The Colby-Sawyer campus computing array includes a campus network with wireless Internet access, five computer laboratory/classrooms, and six mobile multimedia teaching stations, which provide computer graphics, audio, and video capabilities employing the latest digital technology. Computing facilities are equipped with the latest Microsoft Windows applications and laser printers for student use. The College now has a 5:1 student-computer ratio.

The Frances Lockwood Bailey Graphic Design Studios are the center of the graphic design facilities. These studios are equipped with computers loaded with the latest versions of graphic design software programs and desktop publishing capability. Students create graphic images while working with digital scanning and optical character recognition, still-video photography, and VCR, video camera, and other state-of-the-practice images. Advanced student projects are sent to professional imaging centers to create high-resolution hard copy.

Tuition, room, and board for 2008–09 are $39,960. Approximately $1750 should be allowed for books, supplies, personal expenses, and travel, depending on where students live.

Through its Financial Aid Program, Colby-Sawyer encourages the attendance of students from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, economic levels, and geographic regions. Currently, 91 percent of the students receive some form of financial assistance, and Colby-Sawyer provides more than $9 million a year in financial aid and scholarships. Both need-based and merit awards are available, including merit awards for outstanding academic achievement, community service, student leadership, and special talent in art, creative writing, or original research. Each applicant for need-based aid must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Priority is given to students whose completed forms are received before March 1. A modest amount of financial assistance is available for international students.

Colby-Sawyer has a distinguished faculty and staff dedicated to undergraduate teaching, and a personalized education is ensured by an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and average class size of 17. At Colby-Sawyer, senior faculty members teach first-year students as well as students in the upper classes.

The Student Government Association (SGA) is structured to provide considerable interaction among students, faculty members, and staff, and the SGA allocates the resources that fund a multitude of involvement and leadership opportunities outside the classroom. Campus activities include the Campus Activities Board, Dance Club, Alpha Chi Honor Society, yearbook, radio station (WSCS 90.9 FM), Drama Club, Admissions Key Association, Art Students Society, Student Nurses Association, The Courier (student newspaper), community service, and numerous clubs and intramural teams.

The College requires prospective students to present at least 15 units of college-preparatory work. This would usually include 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 or more years of social studies, 2 years of a foreign language, and 2 or more years of a laboratory science.

While an admissions interview is not required, every applicant is strongly encouraged to visit Colby-Sawyer for a tour and interview. Interviews often play an important part in the final admissions decision.

Colby-Sawyer College receives and considers applications throughout the year. Beginning in September, applications are reviewed as soon as they become complete, and candidates are notified as soon as the admissions decision is finalized. A completed application includes a transcript of the candidate’s high school work (including first-quarter grades for the senior year), one letter of recommendation (from a teacher or a guidance professional), a personal statement, and a $50 nonrefundable application fee. SAT or ACT scores may be submitted, but are not required. Application forms and additional information may be obtained by contacting: