Running head: INSTITUTIONAL SNAPSHOT FINAL PAPER 1

Institutional Snapshot Final Paper: Lebanon Valley College

Jordan Glover

Hi Ed 545, Penn State World Campus

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Exploring the history, structure, leadership, and enrollment of the members of the

community at Lebanon Valley College was a fascinating exercise in looking at the college

experience from a different perspective. One of the most interesting things I have discovered

about the higher education system in our country, is that even things that seem like they would

be fairly standard across the board at institutions, can be incredibly different.

Lebanon Valley College is a small, private university in Anneville, Pennsylvania.

Compared to everything I know about a large, public university (Penn State), each new fact

about Lebanon Valley College was a change from what I was used to. Lebanon Valley is mostly

made up of undergraduate students, with degrees offered fairly evenly across the arts, sciences,

and professional fields ("Carnegie Classifications | Undergraduate Instructional Program

Classification", 2015). Lebanon Valley College also offers a few different graduate school

programs, mostly in programs that can build on a major or program already existing at the

undergraduate level ("Carnegie Classifications | Graduate Instructional Program Classification",

2015). In many aspects, Lebanon Valley College is different from other schools, in regards to

size, program offerings, type of student, location, etc. However, in learning about institutional

diversity, there is much to be said for providing different options across the field of higher

education to students. In particular, it allows students to select a school that is appropriate for

them on a variety of topics, including academic vigor, program availability, cost, location, or size

and variety of student body. However, with students self-selecting into institutions based on their

preferences, likely the diversity of institutions will suffer (Berger, Calkins, n.d.).

A large part of the college decision for many students, in selecting a school that is right

for them, revolves around the cost of the institution and the quality of education, the cost and

benefit. Obviously schools have to have different costs of attendance, and also different housing
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costs. The difference in how much one education institution can cost versus another is

staggering. Being familiar with a financial aid system like Penn State’s, Lebanon Valley

College’s numbers surprised me. At Lebanon Valley College, 100% of full-time, undergraduate,

degree-seeking students, which is their majority of students by a landslide, receive aid via either

grants or scholarships from the school. Additionally, surprising, was the amount of aid awarded

to students. The sticker price of Lebanon Valley College is $40,550, and the average amount of

aid provided to the aforementioned population is $25,424 (“The Integrated Postsecondary

Education Data System”, 2018). In regards to the comparisons made between Lebanon Valley

College and other institutions reported on, this institution seems to be one of only a handful

mentioned that ensures that the majority of their students receive financial aid. The discussion

indicates that most of the institutions hover around 50%, with some just providing aid to their

first-year class.

A secondary, but large part for many students, of the college search, is finding an

institution that “fits” the student and can help them reach their goals. For many students this has

to do with academic program availability, and affordability. For other students, this portion of

the decision include other factors such as prestige, what type of student they are, and interests

outside the classroom (Berger, Calkins, n.d.). An example of this aspect of the decision making

process, is through U.S. News & World Report, where universities are classified and ranked. As

a prospective student, parent, or employee, the information here is much easy to understand and

apply to your situation. Lebanon Valley College is currently ranked for 2018 and has two

indications on their page. They are currently #24 in Regional Universities North, and #14 in Best

Value Schools (“Lebanon Valley College – Profile, Rankings and Data |US news Best Colleges”,

2018).
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However, much of the data on U.S. News & World Report is locked to users without a

premium account on the site. Students and parents can get extremely in-depth and take a look at

many statistics from selection rate, graduation rate, alumni starting salary, and number of first

year students in the top 10% or 25% of their high school class. For those looking to get

information on a school’s reputation and prestige, U.S. News & World Report is a great place to

look. Lebanon Valley College seems to be fairly selective, and is affiliated religiously.

While considering an institutions prestige, one must also take a look at faculty and staff

stature at the school. Lebanon Valley College has a full Board of Trustees and President’s Senior

Staff selected to assist run the institution. Each trustee has information regarding their title and

work affiliation, so prospective students can see that the alumni are successful and want to give

back to the school. Additionally, the President’s Senior Staff is laid out in much the same way. In

looking at other schools researched, it seems that the way that Lebanon Valley College organizes

its leadership is similar, but isn’t always comparable to other schools. Much of the organizational

structure has to be unique to the individual institution, to ensure that the leadership structure

matches the structure of the school.

Lebanon Valley College is made up mostly of traditional, college-aged, 4-year degree-

seeking, college students. In regards to diversity, one topic that was troubling was the lack of

easy to find and available resources for students of a variety of different groups. Looking through

the website, it is impossible to find resources for students with disabilities, adult learners, or

veteran students. There are a few pages on the website for students to utilize, but they mostly

encourage students to go to a different office or call another number to get help, if there is any

information on the page at all. Lebanon Valley College is only 13.5% racially/ethnically diverse,

and while there are no other specifics about marginalized groups (i.e. veteran students), I
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imagine due to the lack of information on the site they may not be as inclined to consider

Lebanon Valley College ("Diversity & Inclusivity", 2018).

Overall, diving into Lebanon Valley College proved to be eye-opening. With a

background at a school such as Penn State, often my opinions and ideas about higher education

and institutions are shaped with the mentality of someone working at a big school. Being

relatively new to the field, I anticipate that my experience will grow and I will have a broader

wealth of information about all types of institutions.

This experience did not help me determine where I want to work in my career, as it did

open up the possibility of exploring small universities and schools. I had always seen myself

working and carrying out my career at an institution around the size of Penn State, but after

learning about the differences in the type of environment, I am definitely interested in

considering working in a smaller space, simply to gain more experience. Ultimately, I do not

know at this juncture where I would hope to end up in my career.

An additional aspect of this project that I enjoyed was discussing all types of institutions

and experiences with the class and learning about a variety of types of learning. I am

increasingly interested in learning about community colleges and the role that these

organizations play in our educational system. I am typically very focused on the community

aspect of many things in life, and believe that now more than ever community colleges may be a

way for many students to begin and gain a quality higher educational experience. Not having a

community college around me, and never coming into contact with one, I am excited to learn

more about their role in so many student’s education.

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This project allowed me to reflect on what I have learned so far in my career, and apply

those thoughts and opinions that I am forming to exploring another institution. I have always

believed it to be important to understand as many perspectives as possible, and this assignment

has helped me to begin that exploration of small institutions.

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References

Berger, J. B., & Calkins, M. V. (n.d.). Higher education in the United States. Retrieved from

http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2044/Higher-Education-in-United-

States.html?&session-id=45b6844a9fb3560a6e29dc6ea9c38444#ixzz3hCZymFWI

Carnegie Classifications | Graduate Instructional Program Classification. (2015). The Carnegie

Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from

http://webtest.iu.edu/~carclass/demo2/classification_descriptions/grad_program.php

Carnegie Classifications | Undergraduate Instructional Program Classification. (2015). The

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Retrieved 27 January 2018,

from http://webtest.iu.edu/~carclass/demo2/classification_descriptions/ugrad_

program.php

Diversity & Inclusivity. (2018). Lebanon Valley College. Retrieved 22 April 2018, from

http://www.lvc.edu/life-at-lvc/diversity-inclusivity/

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. (2018). National Center for Education

Statistics. Retrieved 7 April 2018, from

https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/InstitutionProfile.aspx?unitId=adacaeb0abb
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Lebanon Valley College - Profile, Rankings and Data |US News Best Colleges. (2018). U.S.

News and World Report. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/lebanon-valley-college-3288