A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 3 - 1 4

Being president of Ripon Collegemeans no two days are alike. Whileit is easy to get pulled into the day-to-day, it is harder to think aboutthe future. I am pleased how muchtime we have spent this past yearthinking about the kind of institutionwe want to be in the next 10 years.This discussion will continue this year asour faculty discuss a curriculum reviewand we prepare to launch the majorrenovation of a key facility on campus.

We derive our revenue primarily fromthree sources: tuition, alumni givingand interest from our endowment. Iam pleased to report that the ImagineTomorrow campaign (a five-year$60-million drive, largely directedtoward scholarships, faculty supportand endowment) is succeedingbeyond all expectations. Thanks to thegenerosity of alumni and friends, ourendowment stands at an all-time highand our annual giving remains robust.

While we are proud of our financialsuccesses, I am still most gratifiedby what we continue to achieve inthe classroom. In national surveys,including the Wabash Study andthe National Survey of StudentEngagement, Ripon Collegeoutperforms most of the schools similarto us. In areas such as student-facultyinteraction, emphasis of academics,and quality of interactions with student

services,we havecomparativelymore satisfiedgraduates.While Ripongrads mayspend fouryears “far withinWisconsin’sprairies,” theyalso leavethinkingcritically, writing clearly and workingcollaboratively with others.

The outcomes speak for themselves.More than 84 percent of Riponstudents, upon graduation, say theywould choose Ripon all over again,and 96 percent are employed or ingraduate school within six months ofgraduation.

We live, however, in a competitivemarketplace. We must continue toimprove and innovate as an institution.Ripon must modernize its facilitiesand push the envelope to reach anew generation of students raised ontechnology that many of us adoptedonly later in life. We must continue towork to find that sweet spot that allowsus to be a special institution, mindfulof the traditions that make us uniquebut also open to the changes that willkeep us strong.

Momentum and change

Zach P. MessittePresident

Thanks to generous support from

alumni and friends, Imagine

Tomorrow, Ripon College’s five-year

comprehensive campaign that

launched in spring 2010, achieved its

initial goal of $50 million in January

2014, 18 months ahead of schedule.

Ripon College is keeping to its original

timeline for Imagine Tomorrow with

an ending date of July 2015. For the

remaining months of the campaign,

the College will set out to reach an

extended goal of $60 million.

The College’s endowment as of June

30, 2014, was at $84.8 million, an all-

time high.

The FY’14 giving total of $7,266,016

included critically needed support for

current operations as well as support

for our endowment, including eight

new scholarships and two pledges to

support existing scholarship funds.

Since the campaign began, several

new initiatives have been started

to benefit students and create

better opportunities in the classroom

and beyond. These include: 44

new endowed funds, including 30

endowed scholarships; 10 endowed

funds to support student research

and special programs like the Career

Discovery Tour; and four new faculty

positions in theatre, chemistry,

economics and religion.

In recognition of its campaign

success, Ripon College received a

2014 Educational Fundraising Award

from the Council for Advancement

and Support of Education (CASE) for

overall performance in fundraising

among private liberal arts and

sciences institutions with endowments

under $100 million.

NEW ENDOWED FACULTY POSITIONS

■ Colleen Byron, professor of

chemistry, L. Leone Oyster ’19

Chair in Chemistry

■ Soren Hauge, professor of

economics and assessment

coordinator, first holder of the John

Barlow Murray ’37 and Nellie Weiss

Murray ’37 Professor in Economics,

established with a $1,000,000 gift

from Robert and Joan Murray

Imagine Tomorrow Campaign Progress

For more information about Imagine Tomorrow,visit ripon.edu/imagine-tomorrow.

Guest artist Sean Chen officially dedicates Ripon College’s new Steinway concert grandpiano in a recital Oct. 4, 2013. The instrument was purchased with a gift from the estateof Frank Brewster ’65 as part of the Imagine Tomorrow campaign.

Imagine TomorrowAll Gifts to Date by Type

DeferredCommitments45.5%

Cash Received41.3%

Cash PledgesOutstanding

13.2%

$50 million and counting: Initial goal met!

Gifts to Ripon College during FY’14

included $2.18 million in unrestricted

funds in support of the Annual Fund;

and $5.09 million in restricted funds,

for a combined total of $7,266,016.

The $1.33 million in non-trustee, non-

bequest giving to the Annual Fund

is an all-time record.

The senior class gift of $ 2,571 was

achieved with 77 percent of the Class

of 2014 contributing along with some

parents and with supporting funds

from members of the Alumni Board.

The gift was split between the Annual

Fund and an endowed senior class

scholarship, with initial endowment

support provided by Trustee Gary

Page ’84.

MAJOR AND PLANNED GIFTS

1851 Club membership increased by

98 members to 540 households giving

at or above $1,000 in a given year or

$50,000 or more in lifetime support.

Young alumni (10 years out or fewer)

who give an equivalent of $100 for

each year since graduation also are

members.

Fifteen new households joined Partners

in the Legacy by notifying us of estate

plans which include Ripon College.

FUNDING PROPOSALS

Twenty-three grant proposals with

a total value of $1,651,175 were

submitted on behalf of Ripon College

or individual faculty members; 13

proposals, including the realization

of one submitted in FY’13, were

funded as of June 30, 2014, totaling

$1,649,575. Examples include:

■ $565,000, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, forFaculty Bridge Program, to hire faculty nowto transition into vacancies left by plannedretirements in the next few years

■ $500,000, Mead Witter Foundation, for expansionof its endowed scholarship

■ $135,125, Great Lakes Higher Education Corp., for60 paid student internships

■ $100,000, Suzanne and Richard Pieper FamilyFoundation, for servant leadership initiatives

■ $25,000, Kemper Foundation, for a student-runretail business

■ $22,500, Center for Undergraduate Researchin Math, to support student/faculty research indiscrete differential geometry

Gifts and Grants to Ripon College

To view the online Honor Roll of Donors, visit ripon.edu/donors14.

Robert Enright ’17, left, LincolnWurtz ’17 and Assistant Professor of Chemistry PatrickWilloughby discuss a thin-layerchromatography (TLC) experiment. Robert’s work was supported by a Knop Scholarship; Lincoln’s work was supported by a$55,000 American Chemical Society grant for faculty/student collaborative research.Willoughby applied for and received thegrant, as well as a $237,383 National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant to purchase high-performanceliquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) instrumentation with accuratemass capabilities.

Restricted Givingin millions

Non-Bequest

Total Restricted Gifts

Bequest

0 $1M $2M $3M $4M $5M $6M $7M

Non-Bequest Gifts

Bequest Gifts

Total Restricted Gifts

FY13

FY14

FY13

FY14

FY13

FY14

$1.9M

$3M

$4.2M

$2.1M

$6.2M

$5.1M

Annual Fundin millions

Non-Bequest

Total Unrestricted Gifts

Bequest

0 $1M $2M $3M $4M $5M $6M $7M

Non-Bequest Gifts

Bequest Gifts

Total Unrestricted Gifts

FY13

FY14

FY13

FY14

FY13

FY14

$2.1M

$2.1M

$0.1M

$0.1M

$2.2M

$2.2M

The strong progress of Imagine

Tomorrow coupled with our investment

strategies boosted Ripon College’s

financial picture during FY’14. Financial

statements for the year ended June 30,

2014, reflect an increase to net assets

of $15,482,208.

The majority of expenses during FY’14

were related to student support, costs

associated with academic instruction

and upgrades to facilities.

The College provided more than

$14,370,706 in financial assistance to

98 percent of its students during the

2013-14 academic year, an increase of

$1,259,023 over the previous year.

The endowment value as of June 30,

2014, was $84,848,979, our highest level

ever. This reflects an increase during the

year of $13,621,532. The endowment

investments returned 18.7 percent for

the year.

Revenue and Expenses

percent:

Students who receive financial assistance from

the College. Merit-based awards range from

$1,000 to full tuition annually. LincolnWurtz

’17 of Ripon,Wisconsin, receives assistance

from a Ripon College Founders’ Scholarship, a

Ripon College grant, and an Academic Excellence

Scholarship from the State ofWisconsin. He

maintains a 4.0 grade point average and is on

the dean’s list each semester.’14’10 ’11 ’12 ’13

$80M

$60M

$40M

$20M

$0

Market Value of the Endowment

$100M

Endowment

Each year, Conference Services hosts a variety of visiting groups. For 71 years, Ripon College has been thehost site of Badger Boys State, a unique weeklong public affairs program in June sponsored by theWisconsinAmerican Legion. More than 800 high-achievingmale high school students from acrossWisconsin attend. Allqualified attendees (as well as those who attend Badger Girls State in Oshkosh) are offered scholarships of upto $4,000 per year to attend Ripon College.

Revenues: $41,831,408

AuxiliaryEnterprises16.6%

StudentTuition& Fees30.8%

Other Income 4.8%

Contributions17.1%

Investments30.7%

Expenses: $26,349,200

InstitutionalSupport22.2%

Instruction35.4%

Public Services 2.5%

AuxiliaryEnterprises18.2%

StudentServices17.9%

AcademicSupport 3.8%

Enrollment/Outcomes

Ripon College received a record

number of 1,493 applications for first-

time, first-year admission for the fall of

2014; 1,007 were offered admission,

another record, and 211 enrolled.

Sixteen transfer students also enrolled.

The Class of 2018 includes 23 legacies,

whose brothers, sisters, mothers,

fathers, grandparents or great-

grandparents attended Ripon.

Our freshman retention rate is

86 percent, for all first-time, full-

time, bachelor’s degree-seeking

undergraduate students who entered

Ripon in the fall of 2012 and returned

in the fall of 2013.

FINANCIAL AID

We continue to offer a nationally

recognized, liberal arts and sciences

education that attracts top

candidates. Ninety-eight percent

of students received some form of

financial assistance.

OUTCOMES

Graduates219 students earned degrees in 2014.

Of those, 19 earned Phi Beta Kappa

honors; 16 graduated summa cum

laude, with a cumulative grade

point average of 3.90 or higher; 26

magna cum laude (3.70 or higher);

and 44 cum laude, (3.40 or higher).

The most popular majors were

psychology, business management,

biology, history, English, politics and

government, and exercise science.

Jobs and Graduate SchoolNinety-six percent of 2013 graduates

were employed, student-teaching or

in graduate school within six months of

graduation.

Our recent national rankings include

“The Best 379 Colleges” and a “Best

Midwestern College,” by The Princeton

Review; “Best Value” college, ranked

#30 in the nation, by U.S. News & World

Report; and among “Great Colleges

to Work For” by The Chronicle of

Higher Education.

: number of RiponMcNair

Scholars entering graduate school in the fall

of 2014. Max Roy ’14, whomajored in exercise

science, is enrolled in the public health

program at the Medical College ofWisconsin in

Milwaukee.

Incoming Class 2014ACT Mean 24

Top 10% Graduating Class 25%

Top 25% Graduating Class 45%

SOCIAL MEDIAOur social media accounts continue to gain likesand follows:

Ripon College Facebook: 4,391 LikesRed Hawks Facebook: 1,549 LikesRipon College Twitter: 1,682 FollowersRed Hawks Twitter: 854 Followers

Sophia Kaounas, 2014 senior class speaker, graduated cum laude andwith honors in politics and government. Duringthe summer, she assisted at the National Speech and Debate Association’s national tournament in Kansas and taughtwith Deano Pape, former Ripon faculty and forensics staff, at the Harvard Debate Council’s China Camp in Cambridge,Massachusetts. She currently is an administrative coordinator atWilkinson Barker Knauer LLP, a communication law firminWashington, D.C.

percent: Ripon College’s five-year

average placement rate tomedical

school –more than twice the

national average.

Ripon’s wide range of activities,

programs and services ensure that

life on the residential campus is fun,

interesting, safe and valuable for our

students.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

New emergency manuals were

placed in all classrooms and offices.

Other initiatives included suicide

prevention training, revamping of

campus sexual assault responses and

a tabletop tornado exercise with

local and state agencies. Safety and

security meetings with faculty, staff

and students were held monthly.

DIVERSITY

There is a new focus on attracting

students from diverse backgrounds

and supporting them after they arrive

on campus. A Safe Zone training

day was organized by the GLBTQ

(gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual or

transgendered, queer) community,

and anti-bias training was held.

Ripon hosted a social justice retreat;

diversity initiative training day for all

higher education institutions in Fond

du Lac County; and Step Africa

Dance Troupe.

ORGANIZATIONS/ACTIVITIES

There are more than 80 clubs and

organizations, including a new Math

Club; 20 intramural sports; and 20

NCAA Division III varsity athletic teams.

Nearly 100 athletes participated in the

first “Leadership in Athletics and Life

Conference” sponsored by the Center

for Social Responsibility.

Resident Assistant events numbered

360. Late Night Breakfast during fall

finals attracted nearly 500 students;

and Yule Ball had 325 attendees.

TUTORING CONTRACTS

Ripon’s “success-oriented” tutoring

model served 340 contracts,

representing about a third of enrolled

students.

COUNSELING AND HEALTH SERVICES

Students were assisted in 1,600 visits to

Health Services and in more than 700

counseling hours.

Student Life

81percent of students volunteer their

time to the service of others.

There were5,522service hours volunteered in 2013-14.

Angela Pamperin ’17, a music major, and David Peterkes ’16, apsychology/anthropologymajor, paint amural with the Jamaicannational emblem on the wall in the square of Hagley Gap, Jamaica.They were participating in “Peace Studies in Jamaica,” a three-weekimmersion term as part of the Liberal Arts In Focus program.

OFF-CAMPUSOPPORTUNITIES

32 foreign, semester-long programs

10 U.S.-based semester-long programs

7 three-week Liberal Arts ln Focus trips

2 Career Discovery Tours to major U.S.

cities

+ Alternative service trips during fall,

winter, spring breaks

Ripon College professors are active

scholars and leaders in their disciplines,

and their rich real-world experience

offers unparalleled educational

and mentoring opportunities for our

students. The student/faculty ratio of

11½:1 ensures that students receive

personalized attention both inside and

outside of the classroom.

Soren Hauge, professor of economics

and assessment

coordinator, has been

named the first John

Barlow Murray ’37 and

Nellie Weiss Murray ’37

Professor in Economics.

Hauge has served as a professor in

the economics department at Ripon

College since 1998. The professorship

was established with a $1 million dollar

gift.

Sarah Mahler Kraaz, professor of music,

chair of the department,

and College organist, was

a visiting affiliated scholar

with the Associated

Colleges of the Midwest

(ACM) Florence off-

campus study program in 2012. She

began research on the significance of

musical angels in an altarpiece for the

Dominican church in Gubbio, Italy, by

the late 14th-century Siennese painter

Taddeo di Bartolo. The research was for

a book being written by Dr. Gail Solberg

of Florence. Kraaz has since presented

and published on the subject. She will

rejoin ACM Florence in the fall of 2016.

Mary Unger, assistant professor of

English, is managing editor

of Legacy: A Journal of

American Women Writers.

Her article, “ ‘Dropping

Crooked into Rhyme’:

Djuna Bames’s Disabled

Poetics in The Book of Repulsive

Women,” recently was published in the

journal.

FACULTY AWARDS

■ Jaqueline Clark, sociology, May

Bumby Severy, Class of 1908, Award

■ Diane L. Mockridge, history, Senior

Class Award

■ Deano A. Pape, forensics and

communication, Faculty/Staff

Mentor Award

■ Jeanne F. Williams, educational

studies, James Underkofler Award

for Excellence in Undergraduate

Teaching

Faculty Achievements

During the summer of 2014, Associate Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas designed and created amural on the southwall of 214Watson St., owned by Farrell’s Fine Furniture, in downtown Ripon. It portrays the original Long House of thefirst settlers, theWisconsin Phalanx. “The LongWay Home”was supported by a Ripon College 14 for ’14 grant.

Recognizing Our Distinctive Faculty

Lamont Colucci, associate professor and chair of the politics andgovernment department, was named interim director of Ripon College’snew Center for Politics and the People.

Ann Pleiss Morris, assistant professor of English, was a National Endowment for theHumanities Summer Scholar.

Touorizou Herve Some, associate professor of educational studies, contributed achapter to the book Indigenous Discourses on Knowledge and Development in Africa.

Jody Roy, professor of communication, was named the Victor andCarrie Palmer Endowed Chair for Leadership Values.

Lorna Sopcak, associate professor of German, received theRecognition of Merit Award from the Wisconsin Association forLanguage Teachers.

Emily Stovel, associate professor and chair of the anthropology department,organized a multinational workshop in Mendoza, Argentina, in November.

Ripon continues to offer a variety of

events and communications, building

long-term, meaningful relationships

between the College and our 10,000

alumni.

ALUMNIWEEKEND

Attendees enjoyed more than 30

events at Alumni Weekend June 26-

29 and represented 34 states and

Canada. The sixth annual Red Hawks

Golf Scramble raised more than

$17,000 for the Athletic Department.

This year’s reunion classes gave a

combined total of $612,654 to Ripon

College. The Class of 1964, celebrating

their golden reunion, came out on

top with the highest attendance at 31

percent, the highest gift participation

at 30 percent, the largest reunion class

gift of $330,742, and the largest five-

year class gift (since the last reunion)

of $643,201.

CAREER DISCOVERY TOUR

This recent initiative expands

student-alumni career networking

opportunities directly from Ripon

alumni. The fall tour was to

Washington, D.C., and the spring

tour was to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Twenty-three students participated,

and 16 site tours were hosted by

alumni, parents and friends of the

College. This effort is managed by the

Office of Constituent Engagement

and Career Services, and is funded by

the Alumni Board of Directors.

ALUMNI CAREER DAY

This event was held on campus April

3, in conjunction with the spring

Alumni Board of Directors meeting.

Eight companies, represented by 12

alumni, attended to recruit students.

Fifteen other alumni met individually

with students to provide advice about

career paths, review resumés, etc.

Forty-five students benefited from the

exchanges.

Engagement

engagement events in 22 cities, withmore than

2,300 attendees. Col. Jim Laufenburg ’79 (ret.)

interacts with students on theWashington, D.C.,

Career Discovery Tour.

More than 650 visitors – matching 2013’s record

high – attended this year’s Alumni Weekend.

President Zach Messitte, far left, and David C. Miller ’39, holding the sign forthe Golden R Classes, lead the All-Alumni March during Alumni Weekend 2014.

ATHLETICS

■ Ron Ernst, head football coach,

became just the second in MWC

history to reach 150 career wins.

■ Rick Coles, offensive coordinator,

was named to the Wisconsin

Football Coaches Association Hall of

Fame.

■ Dance team was named 2014 Pom

Champions at WOW! Factor Cheer

& Dance Nationals.

■ Cycling team took third place in

Div. 2 at USA Cycling Cyclocross

Nationals.

■ Zach Beek ’15, a business

management major, qualified for

2014 NCAA Div. 3 Outdoor Nationals

in shotput. He set school and

conference records in the event.

■ Ty Sabin ’17, an undeclared major,

was named Midwest Region Rookie

of the Year in basketball and was

second in Div. 3 for 3-point shooting.

■ Jill VanEperen ’14, a mathematics

major, was an Academic All-

American Third Team in basketball;

and a finalist for the Jostens Trophy.

■ Second-year head baseball coach

Eric Cruise again was named MWC

North Coach of the Year.

SPEAKERS

Other speakers included:

■ Tom Barrett, Milwaukee mayor

■ Ron Johnson, U.S. Senator (R-WI)

■ Award-winning poets Max Garland,poet laureate of Wisconsin; Karla

Breakout Achievements

MICHAEL POLCYN ’15, an exercise science major,

was both Midwest Conference North Division and

Central Region Player of the Year in baseball.

Among other honors, he also was named All-

American First Team.

Commencement speakers were Hanna Rosin and

David Plotz of the online magazine Slate. Mark J.

Porubcansky ’77, foreign editor of The Los Angeles

Times, introduced them.

Huston; Patricia Smith and ArthurStringer

■ Former gang members turned hate-

prevention experts, Frank Meeinkand Sammy Rangel

■ Max Boot, military historian/foreign

policy analyst

■ Doctors Paul Hutchison and SeanSmith of Northwestern Medical

Center in Chicago

STUDENTS

■ The Speech and Debate team

finished in the top

five at five different

tournaments. DavidGarcia ’14, a history

and chemistry major,

was State Champion

in Extemporaneous Speaking and

ranked 26th nationally. AllisonReinhardt ’17, a biology and

chemistry major, finished among

the top 35 speakers in the nation

at the Interstate Oratory National

Championships.

■ Amanda Gesiorski ’14, a history/

anthropology major; Naomi Jahn’14, a history major; and ChristianKrueger ’15, a history/studio art

major, published “Ripon (Images of

America Series)” in January.

■ Ripon College’s Ethics Bowl Team

qualified for nationals for the third

consecutive year and placed 11th

of 32 colleges and universities.

■ Four seniors from the Rhetorical

Criticism class — communication

majors Ben Firgens, SamanthaGoodwin and Allie Pasderaand communication/politics &

government major Ryan Riebe —

were among 30 top communication

students from around the nation

invited to attend the DePauw

National Undergraduate Honors

Conference for Communication

and Theatre.

■ Boosting sustainability efforts were

Kaitlyn Welzen ’15, a Spanish and

environmental studies major, who

helped bring about a city ordinance

change to allow the College to

compost a significant percentage

of its solid waste, and who helped

get a hoop house (greenhouse)

built on campus; Liz Walsh ’14, a

biology and English major, who

tended to two honey bee hives on

the Ceresco Prairie; and MamadouToure ’14, an environmental studies

major, who designed a Living Green,

eco-friendly theme floor for student

housing.

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