2020-2021 Ripon College Annual Report

Annual Report 2020 -2021

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Always Care About this Place Over the course of almost a decade, I have written nine annual report introductions and more than two dozen openings for the Ripon alumni magazine. This will be my last one.

I announced earlier this fall that I would be stepping down as president in January 2022.

In each of these short introductory essays, I have tried to highlight content you were about to read and insert some larger idea or thought about the importance of Ripon’s mission of preparing students of diverse interests for lives of productive and responsible citizenship.

The final larger idea I want to convey is that every Ripon alumnus and alumna matters critically to the College’s future ability to remain a successful institution. Ripon needs you to make sure that the next generation of students can have a first-rate education at an affordable price.

I have had the rare opportunity to meet several thousand alumni in my travels since I became president in 2012. You have welcomed me into your homes in Houston, Philadelphia and Phoenix. We have been to baseball spring training games in Florida, hikes in Colorado and art openings in Santa Fe. RC alumni

have taken me to their favorite restaurants and meals: matzo ball soup in Chicago, malasadas (kind of a local doughnut: they are really good!) in Honolulu and salmon and chocolate-covered cherries in Seattle. We have conversed together at alumni gatherings on campus.

And I have heard from you with your concerns and your praise via email and on the phone with regularity.

And here’s the thing: Ripon alumni love their alma mater. Just like the school song, you have supported the place you called home for four years “’mid cloud and sunshine” and over the past 20 months of a global pandemic where we have “firmly braved the storm.”

There is so much to be proud of as we finish 2021. The endowment stands at $116 million (an all-time high), annual giving to the Ripon Fund continues to break records and more alumni are becoming Partners in the Legacy by ensuring that they remember the school in their estate plans. A solid first-year admission for the Class of 2025 (247 first years), students re-energized to be fully back for in-person learning and new faculty publications and scholarship.

We have so much more to do in the years to come: more infrastructure

upgrades in the works (Farr Hall and residence halls are at the top of the list), new academic programs and making sure that our faculty and staff are justly compensated for their work.

I know that I will keep in touch with many of you in the years to come, but, like you, my eyes will always be on Ripon. And, like you, I will always care about this place.

Z ACH P. MESSITTE President

Institutional Initiatives • With a thoughtful Reunite Ripon plan in relation to the pandemic, Ripon returned to a mix of in-person/virtual classes and residence life with just a limited number of positive COVID-19 cases on campus.

• Summer Opportunity for Advanced Research (SOAR) allowed students to engage in collaborative research and creative activity with faculty.

• Inaugural Momentum Leadership Fellows Program was a summer bridge for highly qualified incoming firstyear students from historically underrepresented and first-generation populations.

Summer Opportunity for Advanced Research students enjoy a picnic at Ripon’s Village Green.

← ON THE COVER Samantha “Sammi” Schaefer ’22 of Janesville, Wisconsin, foreground, makes notes with Christina Seese ’23 of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, during fall 2020. They are working in the course Green Wisconsin, taught by Assistant Professor of Biology Benjamin Grady.

• Inclusion Audit Committee developed recommendations for recruitment and retention of students and employees of color. Many recommendations went into immediate use.

• Ripon College and Marian University in Fond du Lac examined a possible partnership.

• A new collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin Pharmacy School in Milwaukee allows students to earn dual degrees in only six years.

Revenue & Expenses

T

Revenue

he majority of our expenses in FY’21 were devoted to student tuition support, costs to sustain academic instruction and general operations of the College.

The College provided $24,503,519 in financial assistance to 100 percent of its student body during the 2020-21 academic year.

Financial statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, reflect an increase in net assets of $28,887,088.

The market value of our investments as of June 30, 2021, was listed at $109,089,974. This reflects an increase of $17,131,666 from the prior year. The average endowment investment returns for one, three and five years were 29.8%, 11.6% and 11.1%, respectively.

Student Tuition and Fees Auxiliary Enterprises

41.2%

$6,118,919 22.8%

Contributions

$3,510,682

13.1%

Government Grants & Contracts

$1,440,185

5.4%

$1,720,127

6.4%

Investments Payroll Protection Program Forgiveness Income Other Income Two campus-wide testing events and random surveillance testings helped monitor COVID-19 activity on campus. In April, 184 members of the College community were vaccinated in a campus event. Here, President Zach Messitte checks in Emily Wammer ’21 for a test in January 2021.

$11,003,245

TOTAL

$2,762,800 10.3% $226,341

0.8%

$26,782,299 100%

Expenses

Our largest fund-raising year ever!

During the 2021 fiscal year, Ripon College achieved its most successful and largest fund-raising year in its history. More than $16.5 million in new gift production, including pledges, was realized.

In March 2021, the endowment crossed above the $100 million mark for the first time. This milestone indicates Ripon’s financial foundation and the commitment of its alumni and friends to its future. Just over a decade ago, the endowment was only $35 million.

The College has emphasized building the endowment over the decades to keep Ripon affordable to the best and brightest students, regardless of their financial situation. One hundred percent of Ripon College students receive some form of financial assistance.

The Class of 2024 has 23% diversity, and 45% are firstgeneration students.

The record-breaking performance was anchored by the creation of several seven-figure endowed scholarships to address access and equity issues; a new five-year grant of $1.4 million to the Student Support Services program by the U.S. Department of Education, TRIO division; and more than $3 million raised for the Ripon Fund.

Instruction Institutional Support

$9,277,770

34.1%

$5,177,341 19.0%

Auxiliary Enterprises

$5,755,180

21.2%

Student Services

$5,247,867

19.3%

Academic Support

$1,101,208

4.0%

$639,591

2.4%

Public Services TOTAL

$27,198,957 100%

Gifts and Grants

G

ifts to Ripon College during FY’21 included $3,104,934.10 in unrestricted funds; and $7,838,390.35 in restricted funds, for a combined total of $10,943,324.45.

N EW G I VI NG C LUB M EM BERS 1851 Club: Now in its 10th year, the club welcomed 58 new member households for a total of 618 members by household in FY’21. Members include donors who give $50,000 or more to the College during their lifetime; who give $1,000 or more during the fiscal year; and young alumni (up to 10 years out) who give an equivalent of $100 for each year since graduation.

Partners in the Legacy: 17 new households notified us of estate plans which include Ripon College, bringing the total number of Partner households to 529.

MA J OR NE W SC H OLARSHIPS • Richard V. and Frances S. Dietrich Trust Scholarship and Richard V. and Frances S. Dietrich Faculty Development Fund, with a combined value of more than $2 million, focus on firstgeneration students with financial need and creating opportunities for faculty. They were established in the name of the parents of Professor Emeritus of Music Kurt Dietrich and his siblings.

• Conforti and Chemerow Scholarship will benefit graduates of Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who display financial need and improve Ripon’s racial and ethnic diversity. It was established

by Doreen Conforti Chemerow ’73 and her husband, David I. Chemerow.

Students, faculty and staff all pitched in to transport and unload a massive donation of science equipment from the now-closed Luxerin Laboratories LLC of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The gift in kind, valued at close to $55,000, will benefit the biology, chemistry and physics department at Ripon, as well as the science department at Ripon High School.

Grants • Robert L. Wallace, professor emeritus of biology and the former Patricia and Philip McCullough 1969 Professor in Biology, has received a four-year research grant from the National Science Foundation of more than $100,000 to study aspects of the ecology and evolution of rotifers.

This research is a collaborative effort with colleagues from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Texas El Paso. Those institutions have received their own support for the project.

• Franzen/Cristo Rey Endowed Scholarship will benefit graduates of Cristo Rey Jesuit, a high school in Milwaukee. The focus is first-generation students. It was established by Mark Franzen ’83 and Janice Heinz Franzen ’83.

• Carrie Donley ’98, director of the Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory at the University of North Carolina (UNC), interacted with students in the Chemistry 342 Advanced Laboratory course April 7. The course is taught by Professor of Chemistry Colleen Byron, and the collaboration was supported by a $1,000 grant through the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network “Kickstarter Program.”

#OneDayRally

• A $9,500 grant from the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium funded two student research projects this year. Christina Othon, associate professor of physics, applied for the grant aimed at contributing to NASA’s research program “Examining Hydration Mechanisms of Osmolytes for Food Stabilization.”

The worldwide Ripon College community came together again for the #OneDayRally giving day April 28, 2021, to support the Ripon Fund, Red Hawks Club in athletics and Friends of the Arts.

The event raised $1,694,548 from 2,087 donors, up 72 donors from the 2020 #OneDayRally. Donors included 217 Game Changers who helped inspire participation and new gifts through unique challenges.

The Class of 1978 led all classes with the highest number of donors at 80. The Class of 1967 led with the highest collective donation amount of $505,551.

Support for the Red Hawks Club and Friends of the Arts, which is included in the overall amount raised, included $47,351 from 228 donors to the Red Hawks Club; and $27,075 from 164 donors to the Friends of the Arts.

Brianna Bembenek ’22 of Campbellsport, Wisconsin, worked on a protein simulation study to study molecular interactions; and Ian Murray ’23 of Madison, Wisconsin, worked on an automation programming project.

• A $50,000 joint grant to Ripon College and Marian University in Fond du Lac was received from the Transformational Partnerships Fund to continue to explore a possible alliance. The grant funded a summer faculty-led study of how the two institutions might work together academically.

Alumni Engagement

R

ipon College has a base of about 12,000 alumni worldwide. Ripon continues to maintain strong ties with alumni throughout their lives in ways that benefit both the alumni and the College.

O N - C A MP US AND VI RTUAL EVENTS The pandemic continued to pause almost all regional and on-campus events during the 2020-21 academic year, however, there were a few bright spots: • R Connections Webinar Series continued virtually with fall webinars focused on faculty introducing alumni and friends to current coursework. Spring webinars focused on financial, personal and mental well-being. All were hosted by alumni presenters.

• After hundreds of hours of planning, the Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 was safely held as scheduled Sunday, May 16, for graduates and just two ticketed guests each.

• The Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble was held as scheduled June 25 and welcomed 170 golfers to the Golf Courses of Lawsonia in Green Lake. This annual outing raised nearly $30,000 to directly benefit the Red Hawks student-athlete experience.

ALU M N I W EEK END 2 0 2 1 Alumni and guests from 29 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, were on campus Aug. 6-8, representing classes of 1961 through 2023. It was the first-ever August Alumni Weekend after COVID-19 put a pause on campus events since March 2020.

The 2021 Reunion Classes raised $491,030 in the five years since their last reunions: • Class of 1976/45th Reunion: Most New Partners in the Legacy since the last reunion (three) and High Reunion Gift Participation (42%) • Class of 1981/40th Reunion: Largest Reunion Class Gift ($191,979) and largest five-year class gift since the last reunion ($805,691).

2021 Alumni Association Awards Distinguished Alumni Citation • Brian L. Frey ’91 of Madison, Wisconsin, career achievements, service to College • Lori Stich Obluda ’91 of Colorado Springs, Colorado, career achievements, service to College • Kent E. Timm ’81 of Saginaw, Michigan, career achievements, service to community Outstanding Young Alumni Award • Jeffrey L. Grinde Jr. ’16 of Madison, Wisconsin, academic and career achievements • Samuel B. Sondalle ’11 of New Haven, Connecticut, academic and career achievements Athletic Hall of Fame • Nicholas C. Beaman ’11 of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, baseball • Scott R. Gillespie ’11 of Bloomington, Illinois, basketball, baseball • Nathaniel J. Kok ’01 of Neenah, Wisconsin, football

Erika Doss ’78 and Geoffrey Thrumston ’78 donated a portrait of Jehdeiah Bowen, an early treasurer of Ripon College and the namesake of Bowen Woods that is near the residence halls. The painting is an oil on canvas by Mark R. Harrison, and it dates to 1883. Thrumston is a descendant of Bowen.

AT RIGHT An “Ivory Silk” lilac tree was planted April 27, 2021, along the sidewalk connecting S.N. Pickard Commons and the lawn area in front of Harwood Memorial Union. Shown are John Tobin, grounds manager, left, and Josh Byrum, maintenance worker. The tree was donated by members of the Cincinnati Alumni Group in memory of David Lives ’62, who died Jan. 23, 2021. The alumni group includes Julie Scharon Chovan ’78 and Joe Chovan; Larry Hollmaier ’75 and Lori Hollmaier; Debbie Foster Lin ’75 and Peter Lin; Dan Newyear ’79; Ruth Kortemeier Roeber ’49; Mary Sweeney ’78; and Jenny Stambaugh Voorhees ’77.

Student Experience

O

ne hundred percent of our students receive financial assistance, and this became even more crucial in the era of COVID-19. Our mission to provide an accessible and premier liberal arts and sciences education remains unchanged, even in the midst of an ever-changing and challenging higher education landscape.

Life at Ripon Graduates • 148 from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021

Isaac Tomaschefsky ’24 of Green Bay, Wisconsin, left, Brooklyn Landgraf ’21 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Abby Stitgen ’22 of Lodi, Wisconsin, are safely distanced while practicing for a concert.

Student Body • 816 enrolled, vs. 788 in 2019-2020 • 796 degree-seeking students, vs. 765 in 2019-2020

• 42 double majors, 2 triple majors • 10 Phi Beta Kappa • 14 Summa cum laude, 23 Magna cum laude, 40 Cum laude • Top majors: Exercise science, psychology, educational studies, communication, biology

Franzen Center for Academic Success Data for both semesters, all done online • 431 signed tutoring contracts, all tutoring done via Zoom • 1,276 papers dropped online for review • 59 quantitative drop-ins online

Class of 2025 • 2,486 first-year applications

• 25 participants in PLUS (Peer Led Undergraduate Study) groups via Zoom

• 1,983 offered admission • 247 first-time, first-year students plus nine transfer students, up from 241 in fall of 2020.

• 21 legacies

Student Life • 39% of students on Dean’s List in fall semester, 44% in spring semester

• 22% ethnic diversity

• 31% upperclassmen in sororities and 37% in fraternities

• 39% first-generation

• 92% lived on campus

• 35% Pell Grant-eligible

• 2,129 visitors to Health Services, 595 of whom were firsttime visitors

• 59% of first-year students elected test-optional • 71% of new students are from Wisconsin, with others from 22 states and the countries of Myanmar and Ethiopia.

Mikaela Lawrence ’24 of Anchorage, Alaska, helps paint a mural celebrating the message of diversity. The work done

by Painting II students of Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas was supported by a grant from the Office of the President.

• 750 counseling hours provided • 50% student-athletes

Excellence at Ripon FAC ULT Y ACH I E VE ME NTS As part of a sabbatical experience spanning January through August 2020, Associate Professor of Chemistry Patrick Willoughby helped develop new enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions. The work was done for Andrew R. Buller at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Lamont Colucci, then a professor of politics and government and coordinator of National Security Studies, spoke about Space Force and the future of space for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Foreign Policy Council and others; and wrote for the U.S. Space Command and the Joint Air & Space Power Conference-NATO. His book, The International Relations of the Bible, was published in June 2021.

A book by Marc Eaton, associate professor of sociology, was released in print by Routledge in October 2020. Sensing Spirits: Paranormal Investigation and the Social Construction of Ghosts examines ghosts as a social phenomenon and also is available as a ebook on Google and Amazon.

“A shoulder to cry on: Heart rate variability and empathetic behavioral responses to crying and laughing in dogs,” by Julia Meyers-Manor, associate professor of psychology, was published on the American Psychological Association’s PsycNet. Mica Rivera ’21 of River Falls, Wisconsin, helped with reliability coding for this paper. Meyers-Manor’s work also was cited in news articles around the country.

Associate Professor of English Ann Pleiss Morris has a two-part blog post, “On Teaching Lear in a Time of Plague,” posted on New Chaucer Studies: Pedagogy and Profession. She also directed a play from the English restoration period, Margaret Cavendish’s comedy “The Sociable Companions,” that was presented virtually March 20, 2021, and featured numerous Ripon alumni thespians.

Rankings Ripon College again placed on prestigious national rankings: • Among the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges and ranked 57th nationally for social mobility in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings.

• The Princeton Review’s The Best 387 Colleges for 2022; and one of only five in Wisconsin on its Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest list.

• Money magazine’s 2020-2021 Best Colleges in America list, based on factors such as tuition, family borrowing and career earnings.

• Washington Monthly’s 2021 College Guide and Rankings of four-year liberal arts colleges and its Best Bang for the Buck Midwest listing.

Robert Wallace, professor of biology emeritus, had numerous articles related to rotifers published in Hydrobiologia, Invertebrate Biology, Aquatic Ecology and the Journal of Environmental Biology. He also co-wrote a chapter, “Phylum Rotifera,” in Thorp and Covich’s freshwater invertebrates, fourth edition, volume 5.

Professor of Biology Mark Kainz worked over the summer of 2020 as a contact investigator for Winnebago County Public Health during the pandemic. He was profiled about the work on WLUK-TV, Fox 11 News.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Erin Munro Krull and Assistant Professor of Computer and Data Science Isaac Sung established the Center for Software Innovation. They worked with three students over the summer of 2020 and have a prototype program where users manipulate algebraic equations called “Unearthing X.”

Professor of Chemistry Joe Scanlon and several of his research students had a paper published in spring 2021 along with a professional collaborator.

“Inquiry into the educational implications of voting practices of young adults in U.S. mid-term elections,” co-written by Matthew Knoester, associate professor of educational studies, was published in The Journal of Social Studies Research. Michael Burke ’22 of East Troy, Wisconsin, and Ryan Hanrahan ’19 of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, served as research assistants on this project.

A rare rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) was discovered in fall 2020 on Ripon College’s Ceresco Prairie Conservancy by Assistant Professor of Biology Benjamin Grady and Christina Seese ’23 of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

During September 2020, Grady was quoted in an article run by numerous news outlets across the country about damage to a rare desert wildflower in Nevada.

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