Administrators at Alice Lloyd College in Knott County recently welcomed the largest turnout of incoming freshmen in the school’s entire 95-year history.
Since its inception, Alice Lloyd College has provided an affordable education to mountain students. In these tough economic times, ALC has consistently ranked as the top college in the nation for graduating students with the least amount of average debt.
Perhaps now more than ever before, people in the region have seen just how vital an ALC education is, which was made evident by the throngs of new students arriving to participate in the college’s annual Summer Orientation on Saturday, June 23.
The college has received approximately 3,000 applications for admission, but is only accepting 220 freshmen this year. With an acceptance rate of 7.3 percent, Alice Lloyd is among the most selective colleges and universities in the nation.
ALC’s Summer Orientation program is designed to help new students prepare for fall enrollment. The college’s admissions staff works overtime, providing all of the information the students will need for a smooth transition to college life. It is truly an action-packed and highly informative event that demands a campus-wide effort.
Angie Phipps, ALC’s energetic and extremely passionate director of admissions, spoke about the day’s activities: “Every department has been represented here today, trying to get these students ready for the upcoming semester. We want to celebrate these young men and women for being selected to come to our school. This special day is meant to be a way for these freshmen to meet current ALC students, and we want to welcome them as new and important members of our college family.”
New students also received a personal greeting from President Joe Alan Stepp, and were treated to instructive speeches from the Academic Dean, Dr. Claude Lafie Crum, and the Dean of Students, Dr. Scott Cornett. Then, both deans and the college faculty conducted a panel in which they field questions from the students and their parents about academics and life on campus.
Afterwards, students take the first steps in their college journey by completing the registration process and becoming acquainted with the college itself. Campus tours were made available, and the students were able to meet members of various groups, organizations and sports teams who passed along info and encouragement at booths in the CAC lobby. The Business and Financial Aid offices were open all day to address questions and concerns, representatives from the Student Work Office explained the college’s work-study program, and Student Services was on hand to conduct recreational activities in the gymnasium and to create sleek, fresh student IDs for this class of new ALC Eagles.
The event was a huge success, which was largely due to Phipps’s tireless efforts in student recruitment.
“This was an exciting day,” she said. “Everyone enjoyed themselves. We couldn’t have done this without everybody’s help. I’m so proud of our resident advisors and admissions ambassadors who performed so well at this year’s orientation. I’m grateful to each and every department, and also to the grounds crew for making this campus a beautiful and inviting one for our guests. The students and their families noticed all of our hard work, and you could tell that they appreciated it.”
ALC’s Summer Orientation wrapped up with a large, outdoor picnic, which was sponsored by the college’s Pioneer Food Service. New students received free ALC merchandise courtesy of the college’s bookstore, and the Admissions Office snapped family portraits for each student in order to preserve and commemorate this record-setting day.
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