1. A D i f f e r e n t W a y o f T h i n k i n g
2 0 0 2 – 0 3 A n n u a l R e p o r t
2. Something going on behind the eyes…
It’s a look you often see at Albright.
Something that says there is a process
going on inside, synapses are firing.
Connecting the dots. Exploring ideas
and perspectives. Making connections.
Considering the possibilities. Arriving
at new conclusions…
4. 2 Albright College
Annual reports are designed to
provide a picture of the
College’s accomplishments
during the past year and I am happy
to share with you that this past year
has been another record-breaker. In
fall 2002, we greeted the College’s
“Sesquicentennial Class,” the class of
2006. It was the largest freshman
class in Albright’s history with 453
freshmen. As I write this, the incom-
ing class of 2007 will surpass this
record. Our application rate also
continues to break all records.
But while facts and figures pro-
vide part of the picture, they do not
always show the whole of what we
have accomplished. During this past
year, the College adopted a new
tagline as part of our marketing
efforts, “A different way of thinking.”
In choosing this phrase to represent
us, we felt it expressed something
distinctive and important about the
essence of Albright.
But what is “a different way of
thinking?” I believe it speaks to the
instrinsic character of this institution
and its people — how we approach
what we do. For the institution that is
Albright, thinking differently implies
a commitment to individuals that
exceeds the norm. It implies a will-
ingness to be flexible, and a readi-
ness to reach out to others. It means
we do not just teach our students, but
we also learn from them.
Thinking differently means a
commitment to substance that goes
beyond curricular content and
ensures that students understand the
multiple issues and perspectives that
surround learning. It means we
forge active connections between
topics, ideas and disciplines by pro-
viding forums for dialogue, in an
environment that fosters growth -
intellectual, spiritual, interpersonal
and human.
For our faculty, thinking differ-
ently describes their conscious effort
to step beyond disciplinary bound-
aries. Albright’s faculty are excep-
tional in this regard, not only avoid-
ing isolation and turfism, but reach-
ing entire new levels of collegiality
and collaboration.
And while the faculty of most
small liberal arts colleges take right-
ful pride in having close connections
with students, to think differently
means to take those relationships
even further, into intensive collabo-
ration and partnership. With half of
our students combining fields of
learning, our faculty are tireless
advisors to help them make wise
choices about creating dual or triple
majors. To do this effectively, profes-
sors must know students, believe in
their dreams and recognize their tal-
ents so they can make solid decisions
about both a meaningful education
and a meaningful future.
For our students, of course, our
job is to inculcate that different way
of viewing the world, of learning, of
synthesizing information into broad
knowledge and even wisdom. But I
think there is a different way of
thinking inherent in the very char-
acter of our student body. As you will
see from the profiles that appear on
the following pages, our students are
a diverse and interesting group, cre-
ative and energetic to an amazing
degree. They take on leadership
roles, take risks and pull rabbits out
of hats (literally, in some cases! See
page 10.) They not only take on the
challenge of combining academic
areas, they also combine diverse ele-
ments into challenging and fulfilling
lives on campus.
In this report, I am pleased to
introduce you to just a few of the stu-
dents and faculty who embody our
“different way of thinking.” They
have felt the direct impact of the
generous support of our many
friends and alumni included in our
Honor Roll of Donors. On behalf of
everyone at Albright College, our
heartfelt gratitude for your support
of our mission, our vision and the
individuals who make up Albright
College.
Henry A. Zimon, Ph.D.
President
5. 32002–03 Annual Report
Shannon Kline ’03
“Communication is an essential role for a physician.”
Major: Biochemistry — Pre-Med
I Summa cum laude. Marcus Green Pre-
Professional Award, Paul M. Leininger Chemistry
Award, Who’s Who in American Colleges and
Universities, Shirk Scholar, Collaborative research
with Professor Frieda Texter on links between
protein structures and cancer
I Softball pitcher, broke the record for career
strikeouts. 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-
District II College Division Team
I “I took an acting class as a way of getting out
of the strict sciences. We started communicating
through facial expressions. A physician has to
know how to communicate with people in a way
that is understandable.”
I The future: becoming a physician – early
acceptance into medical school at Penn State
Hershey Medical Center
By the Numbers
I The class of 2006, Albright’s “Sesquicentennial Class,” enter-
ing in fall 2002, numbered 453 students. This was the College’s
largest class until the new Class of 2007 arrived with 457 stu-
dents. In addition, 40 transfer students entered Albright in fall
2003, double the number from 2002.
I Nearly half of all Albright students have dual, combined
concentrations or interdisciplinary majors.
I Last year Albright students had 200 different combinations
of majors.
I Albright students are from 20 states and 26 countries.
I Acceptance rate is 58%.
I Applications increased 21.7%, a new record.
I Average GPA of applicants is 3.25.
I Diversity at Albright is outstanding compared to other small,
liberal arts colleges and increased from 15.5% in ’99-01 to
20.9% in 2002-03.
I Albright was named a member of The Annapolis Group, a
selective organization of leading liberal arts colleges, who work
cooperatively to promote understanding of the value of a liberal
arts education.Named to The Best Mid-Atlantic
Colleges by The Princeton Review.
6. 4 Albright College
Life on Campus
I 128 Experience Events
I 24 concerts
I 5 theatre productions
I 4 Freedman Gallery exhibitions
I 37 films
I 2 film festivals
I 21 public lectures
I 24 workshops and special presentations
I Hispanic Heritage Month celebration
Sally Wojcik ’04
“My two majors are related but different. Literature makes me a better
performer, thinking of things outside my sphere.”
Major: English and Theatre
I Honor Society, Dean’s list, all six semesters.
Ambassador, Admission Office; Tutor, Writing
Center; Assistant Preparator, Freedman Gallery
I Vice president, president, Domino Players;
performed in six shows, assistant directed
two, stage managed two
I Future plans: Graduate school in theatre,
then teaching theatre
7. 52002–03 Annual Report
Thato Reed ’06
“Always go forward in life but don’t forget
where you come from.”
Major: Psychology and Sociology
(Child and Family Studies)
I Came to the US from Botswana with his family in 1999
I Freshman Leadership Award 2003, Julia Award 2003
I Founder of African Diaspora, member of the Gospel Ensemble,
member of AC2, works in the Housing Office, assistant manager of
the Rec Room
I Future Plans: While attending an inner city high school, Thato
started the “Sankofa Tribe,” a peer conflict resolution program. The
sankofa is a bird from Ghana that symbolizes going forward while
never forgetting where you come from. Thato’s goal is to earn a
master’s and Ph.D. and to be a school counselor in an urban high
school. He loves poetry, dance, acting. “I want to use all my gifts to
help young people.”
Life on Campus
I Albright Computer Training and
Consulting Services offered 600 different
courses and served more than 1,300
students and 179 corporations and
businesses, in addition to its consulting
services. A current focus is on clients who
are changing careers.
I The Albright Conferences Office drew
20,000 visitors to Albright’s campus for
summer athletics and band camps, adult
educational and religious conferences,
weddings and other one-day events.
8. 6 Albright College
Accelerated Degree
Programs
By the Numbers
I Number of Students Enrolled in
Accelerated Degree Completion: 518 (7% growth
from ’02 to ’03)
I Number of Students Enrolled in
Accelerated Degree Start: 50
I DCP/DSP Programs through Corporate
Extension: Pfizer, Inc.- Lititz, PA; Exelon, Limerick
Generating Station; High Concrete, Denver, PA
I Faculty: 65
I Locations: 9 (Reading, Harrisburg, Lancaster,
Blue Bell and Pottstown, Allentown and Bethlehem.)
I Two-year partners: 7
Angel Figueroa ’05
“People born in Reading sometimes say they want the city to be
what it once was. But the community is shifting, change is
inevitable. I say I want Reading to be what it can be. Reading can
be the gem for this state, for this country.”
Major: Business Administration
Accelerated Degree Completion Program, Reading
I Member of City Council, Reading, Pa. representing District 1.
The first Hispanic city councilman in the City of Reading, he
serves as a consultant to the Reading Weed and Seed Program,
and led projects such as Rock the Vote USA and the
Redevelopment of the PA Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He
also serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Statewide Latino
Coalition and the Hispanic Center.
I Vice President of Resource Development for I-LEAD (Institute
for Leadership, Education, Advancement and Development),
where he trains local leaders in four course modules that will
help to improve the local quality of life - Effective Dialogue,
Creative Leadership, Public Systems, Private Systems.
9. 72002–03 Annual Report
Stephanie Funk ’03
“I finally found a home, which is Albright.”
Master’s Program in Education
Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification
I Employment: HR specialist, Reading Plastic Fabricators
I B.S., Organizational Behavior/Applied Psychology, Albright
College ’03 (Accelerated Degree Completion)
I Mother of Hayley, age 3
I Future Plans: teaching certificate, master’s degree, teaching
history in high school, principal’s certificate. In order to begin
teaching sooner, she is completing her secondary education
certification at the beginning of her master’s program. She
plans to do her student teaching in the spring of 2004.
Graduate Program
in Education
By the Numbers
I M.A. or M.S. in Education
I Post-baccalaureate teacher
certification established fall 2002
I Grew from 15 students in two
courses in fall 2002 to 78 students
and 10 courses in fall 2003
10. 8 Albright College
I Kathy Ozment, chair of the
Modern Foreign Languages
and Literatures Department
and Betsy Kiddy, assistant
professor of history and
director of the Johnson Center
for Latin American and
Caribbean Studies, won a
$120,000 grant from the U.S.
Department of Education to
integrate teaching about Latin
America into a broader range
of disciplines in the College.
The project will also more fully
integrate the Caribbean into
the interdisciplinary Latin
American Studies Program.
Nine faculty traveled to Mexico
and the Dominican Republic to
lay the groundwork for new
courses incorporating a Latin
American focus into sociology,
music, art, political science,
psychology, economics,
women’s studies, business
and philosophy.
Shared Project:
Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Modern Foreign Languages
In 2002-03, Albright’s 101 full-time faculty
produced:
I 3 books, 18 articles, 13 exhibitions and
performances, 93 papers/scholarly
presentations, 6 grants
I Albright students and faculty working
together on collaborative research published
10 articles and papers on their research
Albright Faculty
at Work
Faculty
11. 92002–03 Annual Report
I David Osgood, assistant professor of biology
I Michael Welsh, assistant professor of political science
I Steven Mech, assistant professor of biology
I Barton Thompson, assistant professor of anthropology
Environmental Areas of Concentration
I The interdisciplinary environmental studies curriculum was redesigned and broadened last year.
I The environmental areas of concentration now include: environmental science, environmental
chemistry and environmental studies – politics, anthropology and psychology of the environment,
ecological history, environmental economics and philosophical ethics applied to the natural world.
12. 10 Albright College
Information Technology
New Campus Information
System Goes Live
I The new $2 million campus information system,
SCT’s POWERCampus, went live for the Registrar and
the Controller’s Offices during the summer of 2003. The
new system is integrating the College’s data systems,
including students, (allowing online registration and
grades) admission, finance, human resources and
campus master calendar.
Tom Shawver ’06
“I have this thing about being in
the spotlight.”
Major: Computer Science and Music
I Dean’s List. Magician. 1999 National Champion of Magic; magicbytom.com
I Knew 15 computer languages by the time he came to Albright. Composes
music. Working on innovative, proprietary software ideas that combine com-
puters and music.
I Future Plans: Running his own company
Renovations
Student Lounges Renovated
I Student lounges in both Walton and Crowell Residence
Halls were completely renovated last spring.
13. 112002–03 Annual Report
Philanthropy
I Giving to Albright in the year ended May 31, 2003 was
$2,668,965 (plus $120,670 of in-kind gifts). This is the second
largest gift total in the College’s history. Making gifts to the
College were 3,210 (25%) alumni, as well as 565 parents and
almost 400 friends of Albright.
I President’s Council members contribute $1,000 or more
annually to the College. This year, 261 members of the President’s
Council comprised just 6.2% of all individual donors to Albright,
but gave $1,348,000 or 82% of all non-bequest dollars.
Financial Management
Spaces and Places
Albright Receives $200,000 from
Commonwealth for Science Center
I The College received a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, funding secured by State Senator Michael A. O’Pake in the
2002-2003 state budget to support development and finalization of design
concepts for a planned new Science Center for Albright. The facility is
envisioned to be not only a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and learning
science, but also an innovative physical space that optimizes interdisciplinary
opportunities between the disciplines and fosters collaboration among both
faculty and students. The project is still in its early phases, with no target date
for groundbreaking since funds must be raised for construction.
Revenues
I Student Tuition and Fees $ 36,105,721 71%
I Endowment & Trust Income
Used in Operations 1,443,404 3%
I Gifts & Grants 1,945,389 4%
I Sales & Services of
Auxiliary Enterprises 10,466,395 21%
I Other 693,381 1%
Total Revenues $ 50,651,290
Expenditures
I Instruction $ 10,988,091 22%
I Library 858,285 2%
I Student Services 2,036,511 4%
I Administration 1,028,283 2%
I General Institutional 11,944,202 24%
I Operations & Maintenance 2,429,699 5%
I Student Aid 13,229,302 26%
I Debt Service 1,767,637 3%
I Auxiliary Services 5,932,720 12%
Total Expenditures $ 50,214,730
Surplus $ 439,560 *
Renovations
Tennis Court Renovations Completed
I Albright’s tennis courts were completely renovated
thanks to the 75th Anniversary reunion gift of Alpha Pi
Omega. They were renamed the Alpha Pi Omega Tennis
Courts. The courts have new substructures, as well as
new paving, fences and windscreens. Lighting and
spectator seating will be added.
* Excess of revenues over expenditures from unrestricted operating
activities before depreciation. Depreciation and nonoperating revenue,
gains and other support are reflected in the consolidated audited
financial statements of the college.
Copies of the audited financial statements are available upon request
to the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance.
