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New Kids on the Block

Photo Credit: xu.edu

The Manresa Move Crew: Back in action on Friday.

Jennifer Downing
Senior News Editor

The snowy panhandle of Juneau, Alaska is home to incoming freshman, Dylan Asche, but beginning this fall, Asche will start a new chapter in his life at Xavier University, over 3,000 miles away.

Asche and his fellow classmates bring enthusiasm for the school, continued improvement toward diversity and talent that is academic, athletic and service-oriented.

Though Asche came from Alaska to play Division I soccer, “I wanted a school that had strong academic and soccer programs,” he said. “When I looked into Xavier, I found out that it was also a really good school academically.”

Asche isn’t the only student who’s defying the traditional Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana student hometown profile. Campus will welcome students representing 34 states as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the countries of Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Ireland, Argentina, Ghana, Colombia, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Canada and Senegal, according to the Office of Admissions.
Midwestern living is a dramatic change for Asche, but he’s adjusting well since he first moved to campus on August 1 to practice with the soccer team.

“Coming from Alaska, it’s just different being here since Juneau is a really isolated city. I’m not used to the whole big city thing yet, but I really like the change. It’s just different in so many ways, but I’m pretty much used to it now. Juneau’s usually cold and snowy. Three weeks before I came here, it was 50 degrees. Usually it’s freezing, but I actually love hot weather.”

It shouldn’t be too hard for Asche to keep in touch with his friends, thanks to new technology such as facebook.com and myspace.com. “I’ve actually talked to a lot of my friends every day. It’s not like I’m leaving them behind, and I’ll still keep in touch. I’m just in a new part of my life,” he said.

Xavier’s newest class has more to offer than geographic diversity. Students such as Darren LaCourd contribute to Xavier’s reputation of academic excellence as well. LaCourd is most proud of the controversial editorials he wrote for his high school newspaper, the CD his band cut last spring and the prayer circle and Bible Club he started at his public high school.

“I’m proud of all my academic achievements, too, but I’ve grown to expect that of myself.”

LaCourd also scored a perfect score of 36 on his ACT. Still, LaCourd’s top college choice was not an Ivy League school; it was Xavier University.
“I considered Xavier initially because I had basically one criteria: Catholic. My faith’s really important to me.”

For LaCourd, Xavier won out over Notre Dame, Loyola Chicago, Boston College, Saint Louis University, University of Dayton, Marquette University and USC.

LaCourd doesn’t need an Ivy League school. Neither do the 829 incoming freshmen who have an average high school GPA of 3.63, the highest Xavier has ever seen.

LaCourd echoed another reason that many students have chosen a liberal arts, moderately selective school like Xavier over a “top ten” school: the finance program. (TIME magazine)

“Scholarship pretty much clinched the deal; my decision was between Xavier and Notre Dame, and I didn’t want to be $80,000 in debt getting out of college. That’s understandable, right?”

Five service fellow recipients will also help uphold the university’s Jesuit ideals. The service fellowship is a scholarship program unique to Xavier. Students are selected due to high academic achievement and exemplary service in high school. Students receive full tuition and room and board, and are expected to maintain a certain GPA and perform a minimum of 10 service hours each week for four years.

James McShane of North Bend, Indiana is a 2010 service fellow.
“When visiting Xavier, I felt a sense of family and unity that I had not felt anywhere else. It was my first impression of the school and I haven’t looked back.”

McShane plays basketball, soccer and golf, but he also loves doing service work.
“I am involved in a charismatic Christian community called the People of Praise that is doing work in a neighborhood in Shreveport, LA. I have also been a counselor at a camp sponsored by this community for a week for the last five summers.”

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XU honored by U.S. News & World Report

Superior freshman-sophomore retention and graduation rates, plus exceptional alumni giving, combined to move Xavier back to second place in the annual college rankings by U.S. News & World Report for 2007.

Xavier had ranked second for 2005 but moved to third last year.

America’s Best Colleges, released Friday, lists Xavier second best among 142 institutions offering undergraduate and master’s degree programs in the Midwest. Only Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., another of the 28 Jesuit universities and colleges in the country, placed ahead of Xavier.

“I could not be more proud of this honor,” said Michael Graham, S.J., president of Xavier University since 2001. “I commend our faculty and staff who work so hard to realize our mission of forming students intellectually, morally and spiritually with rigor and compassion toward lives of solidarity, service and success. This recognition by U.S. News & World Report reinforces that we are doing our best on behalf of our students.”

Xavier also is included in the list of schools offering the best value, which is calculated by comparing the net cost of attendance with the average level of need-based financial aid. Xavier placed ninth among 15 for Midwest master’s-level universities, with 52 percent of students receiving grants based on need and an average discount rate of 31 percent from the total cost of attendance. The average cost for a Xavier student after receiving need-based aid is $22,318, according to the report.

The rankings by U.S. News & World Report are released annually and are closely watched by university officials as a barometer of their institution’s success. The magazine ranks colleges and universities in 11 broad categories including freshman retention, graduation rate, and class size.

Published since 1915 by the students of Xavier University

New Kids on the Block

XU honored by U.S. News & World Report