Macalester College

Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a 53 acre campus in a historic residential neighborhood and includes seven academic buildings, ten residences, a library and a technology center. Notable alumni include Kofi Annan, Walter Mondale, Marlene Johnson, DeWitt Wallace, Alexander Wendt, Ari Emanuel, Peter Berg, Tim O'Brien, Bob Mould, Charles Baxter, and Gregg Osborne. Macalester enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduate students. The school is known for its large international enrollment and has one of the highest percentages of foreign students in the United States. Macalester is one of the Hidden Ivies and considered one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the nation. The 2011 and 2012 U.S. News & World Report ranked Macalester 25th in the nation among National Liberal Arts Colleges, and it was named one of America's 25 New Elite "Ivies" by Newsweek in 2006. 13 Macalester students have been awarded Rhodes Scholarships.

History
Macalester had its beginnings in the mid-to-late 19th century due to the efforts of the Rev. Dr. Edward Duffield Neill, who had founded two schools in Saint Paul and nearby Minneapolis which were named after M.W. Baldwin, a locomotive builder and friend of Neill's. Neill feared the secular and nonsectarian attitude of the nearby University of Minnesota. Neill's idea was to make the new college an appendage to the university offering a thoroughly Christian curriculum based upon the British university model. He named this new institution "Jesus College" leading immediately to controversy and accusations of blasphemy. In spite of this, Jesus College failed to attract many students, and Neill turned to Charles Macalester, a businessman from Philadelphia, for sponsorship for the failing institution. Macalester donated a building near Saint Anthony Falls, and the college was chartered in 1874. The college moved to its present location in 1885 after building an endowment and seeking the help of the Presbyterian Church. Due to its distance from both St. Paul and Minneapolis, in 1891, the college board approved and funded an electric trolley line through the middle of campus, which is now Grand Avenue. The College first admitted women in 1893, and despite being affiliated with a religious institution, remained open to students of other faiths. Neill opposed the admission of women to Macalester, not because he did not approve of women's education, but rather because of his prior commitment to send female applicants to Macalester's sister school, Albert Lea, which closed in 1915.

Macalester was largely carried through financial hardship and brought to prominence by Dr. James Wallace, father of DeWitt Wallace. Wallace was acting president of the college from 1894 to 1900, president from 1900 to 1906, and professor until just before his death in 1939. After World War II, the college developed a reputation for internationalism under the presidency of Charles Turck (later the namesake of Turck Hall), who recruited overseas and created a more diverse student body. Macalester's positive reputation grew during the 1960s, when it consistently drew many National Merit Scholars, enough to come in at the country's top ten; during this time the college also benefitted heavily from DeWitt Wallace's success with Reader's Digest. Macalester continued to develop into the 1990s, building its endowment and adding new facilities and equipment.



Macalester's reputation has grown within the last 20 years with the addition of newer facilities, such as the DeWitt Wallace Library, among the largest among liberal arts colleges in the United States. The college has also extensively developed its ties to the Twin Cities, with an extensive focus on community service and involvement. Recent years have brought much new development. Many buildings have been extensively renovated and a new athletic facility (The Leonard Center) opened in the fall of 2008. In addition, Macalester has recently created the Institute for Global Citizenship.

Academics
Macalester's stated mission is to be a preeminent liberal arts college with high standards for scholarship, and with special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. Currently, the College has 59 academic departments, programs and concentrations.

In the past 10 years, Macalester students have earned honors including Rhodes Scholarships, British Marshall Scholarships, Fulbright Scholarships, Foreign Government Grants, National Science Foundation Fellowships, Truman Scholarships, Watson Fellowships, Mellon Fellowships and Goldwater Scholarships.

For the class of 2017, over 6,600 applications resulted in around 500 admissions, an acceptance rate of 34%. It is considered "Most Selective" by the U.S. News & World Report Rankings.

Macalester is the primary financial contributor and sponsor of the Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth, which was founded in 1967 and has its main facilities in the Lampert Building (which is across from Macalester's North Quad on Snelling Avenue). MITY provides two different gifted education programs during the summer months and one on weekends during the academic year. Macalester also participates in Project Pericles.

As a member of the Cooperating Libraries in Consortium (CLIC), the Macalester library provides students with academic resources outside of the College's library. Through the consortium, students have access to books, articles, and other media available from liberal arts colleges in the Twin Cities. Students also have access to the University of Minnesota libraries, and can obtain copies of papers and articles there from on campus.

Tuition and financial aid
The average total tuition and fees at Macalester total around $51,417 per year. This does not include books and supplies, personal expenses, or the health insurance. Macalester gives an average financial aid package of $33,991, with 72% of students receiving financial aid. Receiving an outside scholarship reduces the amount of financial aid awarded to a student that applies for aid from Macalester.

Student life
Macalester is well known for its international focus in its student body. As of Fall 2011, international students comprise 12% of the student body. Minnesotans are 17%, while the rest of the U.S. states are represented by the remaining 71% of the student body. U.S. students, 20% of whom are of color, come from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The main campus newspaper is the student-run The Mac Weekly, which has a circulation of up to 1,600 and was established in 1914. Almost all the newspaper staff works on a volunteer basis. The paper publishes 12 or 13 volumes, ranging from 12 to 24 pages, each semester. A satirical section, The Mock Weekly, is added to the last issue of each semester. The paper has published a magazine three times, in April 2006 and March and November 2007.

There are over 100 student clubs and organizations on campus, including the college radio station WMCN, the Macalester Peace and Justice Committee, the Experimental College, Student Labor Action Coalition, African Music Ensemble, Macalester Gaming Society, Macalester Mock Trial, Mac Dems, Mac GOP, Mac Greens, Bad Comedy, Fresh Concepts, The Macalester Review: A Political Magazine, The Hegemonocle Humor Magazine, The Trads and other a cappella groups, Cheeba, MacBrews, MacSlackers, MacBike, the Macalester Outing Club, the Macalester Climbing Club, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG), Macalester Conservation and Renewable Energy Society (MacCARES), Macalester International Organization (MIO), MacPlayers, NARAL Pro-Choice Macalester, Queer Union, Macalester for Justice in Palestine, Macalester Young Artists for Revolutionary Needlework (MacYARN), Mac Rugby, Medicinal Melodies, and the Physics and Astronomy Club.

On July 6, 1974, the first live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion was broadcast from the Janet Wallace Auditorium of Macalester College.

Athletics
Macalester College is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The college's team nickname is the Scots. The football team, after many years of poor performance in the MIAC, has competed independently since 2002. The college actually dissolved the football program in 1906, pronouncing, according to the Mac Weekly: "Thoroughly aroused to the evils, real or imaginary, of this game, the public is clamoring for the entire abolition or reform on this 'relic of barbarism.'"



Soccer has always been a popular sport. Both men and women's teams remain competitive, appearing in multiple NCAA playoffs since 1995. The women's team won the NCAA championship in 1998. The 2010 men's team won the MIAC regular-season championship and both the men and women's teams received at-large bids for the 2010 NCAA Division III tournament. Both teams are well-supported by students, parents and alumni. One of Macalester sports fans' most (in)famous cheers – "Drink Blood, Smoke Crack, Worship Satan, Go Mac!" – was cited by as one of "7 Memorable Sports Chants" by Mental Floss.

The Cross Country Ski team became a club team in 2004, when skiing was eliminated as an MIAC sanctioned sport. It was the first team to be dismantled since hockey was cut (and turned club) in the 1970s. A women's hockey team formed in 2000 and continues to play at the club level.

Macalester Athletics compete in a new athletic facility, the Leonard Center, which opened in August 2008. The $45 million dollar facility encompasses 175,000 square feet. The Leonard Center includes a 200-meter track, a natatorium, a fitness center, several multipurpose rooms, and a health and wellness center for the college community. Materials from the former facility were disposed of in environmentally friendly ways, and some materials were incorporated into the new structure.

Housing
As at many small liberal arts colleges, students at Macalester are required to live on campus for their first two years.

Residence halls

 * Dupre Hall, which houses first-year students and sophomores, is located on the corner of Summit and Snelling Avenues, and was built in 1962. Renovated in 1994, Dupre houses about 260 students and is Macalester's largest residence hall.
 * Turck Hall was built in 1957 and most recently remodeled in 2004. It houses nearly 180 first-year students.
 * Doty Hall was built in 1964 and is one of two residence halls on campus to feature single-sex floors. In 2012, Doty 1 was designated the Gender Neutral floor.
 * Bigelow Hall is on the corner of Grand Avenue and Macalester Street. Built in 1947 and most recently remodeled in 1992, it is connected via tunnels to Wallace, Doty and 30 Macalester Street and features single-sex and co-ed floor arrangements. It is also connected to Turck via a skyway, and houses sophomores.
 * George Draper Dayton Hall (GDD) houses sophomores, juniors and seniors, typically in suites of four to six occupants.
 * 30 Macalester Street is one of the newest residence halls on campus, and is more handicap accessible than other residence halls and houses a small amount of students. It is a quiet and substance-free living community.
 * Wallace Hall is the oldest residence hall on campus, built in 1907 and renovated in 2002. It houses sophomores.
 * Kirk Hall houses upperclassmen and is located between the Campus Center and the Leonard Athletic Center. It is composed of doubles and triples, each of which has a common living area with singles off of it.
 * With the opening of the Institute for Global Citizenship, Summit House, which previously housed the International Center, has been converted into a residence hall housing 16 students.
 * There are three cottages on campus.

Specialty housing

 * Summit House: Located across Snelling Avenue from Dupre Hall, the Summit House offers residence for up to sixteen upperclassmen.  Starting in the Fall 2011 semester, the Summit House operated on a per semester cycle exclusively for students studying abroad for one half of the school's year.
 * Veggie Co-op: Located under the bleachers of the stadium, it houses 20 students who eat vegetarian meals together for most of the week. All food in the house is vegetarian. Students buy and make food together for their joined meals.
 * Cultural House: Located at 37 Macalester Street, residents of the Cultural House are usually required to work or volunteer for the Department of Multicultural Life and engage in moving towards a more diverse, accepting, and open campus environment.
 * All-gender housing (part of Kirk Hall)
 * Eco-House
 * Language Houses: Students are expected to speak the language of their particular house as much as possible. Currently there are six Language Houses, focusing on German, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin.
 * Inter-Faith House: Located in section 8 of Kirk, the Inter-Faith House is for students wishing to explore faith in their lives and the lives of others.

All-gender housing
Recently, Macalester has made news by offering limited all-gender housing options for first-years, juniors, and seniors. George Draper Dayton Hall, the Grand-Cambridge Apartments, Kirk Hall, and the six cottages all offer all-gender housing options. These housing options still do not provide the opportunity for students of opposite sexes to share a bedroom. Hence, all-gender housing is only available in suites and cottage type living situations and has not been integrated into the other residence halls. Student-led groups are working to increase these options and make all-gender bathrooms available. As of the 2012-2013 academic year, one floor of the first-year residence hall Doty is designated as all-gender for first-year students.

Food services
Food services on campus are provided by Bon Appétit, a national company. The cafeteria, located in the Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center, is named "Café Mac". There are three meal plans for students who live on campus (except those in theme houses or co-ops). The standard option (and the mandatory one for new students) is 19 all-you-can-eat meals per week (3 per week day, and brunch and dinner on the weekends). For the same price, 10 or 14 meal plans are available, which offer additional flexible "dining dollars" for a la cart meals. Café Mac includes several different stations, all of which provide vegan and Gluten-free options. Vegetarian, vegan, Gluten-free, and food with nuts or peanuts are flagged so all students can manage their dietary concerns. For those students who live off-campus, there is a 75 meals per semester plan available for Café Mac.

Sustainability
Macalester is a signatory to the Talloires Declaration and the American College and University President's Climate Commitment, the latter obligating the college to work toward carbon neutrality. In April 2003, Macalester was able to install a 10 kW Urban Wind Turbine on-campus thanks to that year's senior class gift donating the installation cost and Xcel Energy donating the tower and turbine. The student organization MacCARES is currently developing a proposal for Macalester to invest in a Utility-Scale Wind Turbine in the range of 2MW. Other projects include the Eco-House, a student residence with a range of green features and research opportunities; a rain garden which prevents storm water from running-off into ground water, a bike share program, and a veggie co-op. Recently, the Class of 2008 designated its senior class gift to a Sustainability Fund to support initiatives to improve environmental sustainability on campus and in the greater community.

In the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, Macalester earned an overall grade of "B+". Only 15 schools earned a higher grade. In the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, published by the same group, the school received an overall grade of "A−", the top grade received by any institution across the nation. In addition, the college declared a goal in September 2009 to become carbon neutral by 2025 and Zero-Waste by 2020.

Also in 2009, the school opened Markim Hall, a LEED Platinum building that houses the school's Institute for Global Citizenship. The building uses 45% less water and 75% less energy than a typical building in Minnesota. Macalester is currently planning on remodeling its Music, Theater, and Art buildings and is designing them to Minnesota B3 Guidelines.

In 2011, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) awarded Macalester College a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Silver Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements.

Awards and recognition

 * In 2011, The Princeton Review ranked Macalester the most liberal college. Other awards include: 3rd best quality of life, 7th for LGBT friendly, and 10th for least religious.
 * In 2011, Huffington Post ranked Macalester one of the 7 trendiest colleges.
 * In 2010, Huffington Post ranked Macalester one of the 10 most intellectual colleges.
 * In 2010, Forbes ranked it 55th of America's Best Colleges.
 * Ranked 16th (as of 2005) in the nation by Washington Monthly College Guide, based on criteria that "should be engines of social mobility, they should produce the academic minds and scientific research that advance knowledge and drive economic growth, and they should inculcate and encourage an ethic of service."
 * Named "America's Hottest Liberal Arts College" by the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek "How to Get into College" Guide. According to the magazine, America's Hottest Colleges "have one attribute in common: they're creating buzz among students, school officials and longtime observers of the admissions process...each reflects a place that is preparing students well for a complex world."
 * At a fall 2005 school assembly, Macalester President Brian C. Rosenberg summarized these rankings and honors by saying Macalester students are "cheap smart hotties with a conscience." The phrase now appears on t-shirts worn by a number of students.
 * In 2007, Princeton Review rated the college "#1 best quality of life."
 * Macalester won the National Cross Examination Debate Association Debate Tournament in 1986 and 1987.
 * Macalester was named a top 100 college for LGBT students by the Advocate in 2006.

Notable alumni and faculty
Some of the notable alumni and faculty of Macalester college include architect Cass Gilbert, political figures Kofi Annan '61 and Walter Mondale '50, businessman and philanthropist DeWitt Wallace '11, writers Tim O'Brien '68, Rebecca Otto '85, Walter Kirn (transferred to Princeton University after his first year) Christina French Houghton '06, a co-founder of Guy French, and Immanuel Kant Philosophy expert Gregg Osborne, Ph.D. Musicians Bob Mould '82 and Will Sheff '98, Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut president and 2010 candidate for Connecticut governor Juan A. Figueroa '77, talent agent Ari Emanuel '83 (upon whom Ari Gold from "Entourage" is based), writer/producer Chris Kobin '81, and actors Peter Berg '84 and Carl Lumbly '73. Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness got their start at Macalester as did 80's pop group Information Society who charted with their hit "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)." Past and present faculty include Hubert Humphrey, Jack Weatherford, Wang Ping and George Latimer. In 1993, Mac alum Sharon Sayles Belton '73 was elected as the first African American and first female mayor in the 140-year history of the city of Minneapolis. In Jonathan Franzen's 2010 best-selling novel "Freedom", the two male protagonists, Richard and Walter, attended Macalester College.