Wheaton joins national effort to provide better information on colleges
Wheaton has joined a nationwide initiative that launches today to provide college-bound students and their parents with concise, Web-based consumer-friendly information on individual private colleges and universities.
Wheaton has joined a nationwide initiative that launches today to provide college-bound students and their parents with concise, Web-based consumer-friendly information on individual private colleges and universities.
The new web site, U-CAN (www.ucan-network.org) which stands for the University and College Accountability Network), opens to the public on Wednesday, September 26, offering visitors a profile of Wheaton (members.ucan-network.org/wheatoncollege) and more than 600 other private colleges nationwide. The college joined the initiative, which was announced last spring, as a means to promote the availability of information about the institution's programs, its students, faculty and graduates.
''The best way to learn about Wheaton is through a campus visit in which prospective students and parents can talk with our students, faculty and staff,'' President Ronald Crutcher said. ''However, many people begin looking at colleges online, and U-CAN provides free access to the basic information that students and parents typically want when starting the college search process.''
Developed by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the site consists of hundreds of institutional profiles that contain comparable data and targeted links to the institution's Web site for more detailed information on specific aspects of the institution. The profiles are displayed in a common template that NAICU developed, after consulting with focus groups of prospective students and parents in cities across the country.
At the same time, Congressional leaders and policy-makers have called on higher education to provide useful information about college costs and programs. ''While the vast majority of this information was already available on Wheaton's web site, this initiative makes the college's commitment to transparency more visible,'' President Crutcher said. ''I am certain that students and parents will find it useful, as a first step in learning more about Wheaton.''
The in-depth information included in the college and university profiles covers admissions, enrollment, academics, student demographics, graduation rates, most common fields of study, transfer of credit policy, accreditation, faculty information, class size, tuition and fee trends, price of attendance, financial aid, campus housing, student life, and campus safety.
