Greenville University Featured in "Cool Small Colleges" Publication

Greenville University has been featured in a new book entitled Cool Stuff at Small Colleges by V. Peter Pitts.

V. Peter Pitts, M.A., a retired college admission professional, aka "the Small College guy," has written his second book on the benefits of attending small colleges. This time, he examined 240 cool features of 120 colleges in the U.S. Pitts featured Greenville University as one of those colleges.

Pitts highlighted GU's “unique scholarships with a twist.” That "twist" includes grouping like-minded and similarly awarded scholars for support, community, and leadership training. He highlighted the University’s rewarding of students for who they are, not just their academic test scores. Greenville University features scholarships like Women in Leadership, Panther Character and Service Scholars, Mosaic Diversity Scholars, and Champion Scholarships for those who have overcome adversity. Pitts also cited GU for providing unique scholarships and grants for participation in groups or clubs that benefit the student experience.

GU provides participation scholarships for groups such as cheer/dance, outdoor adventure club, equine club, marching/pep band, choir, esports, and worship bands.

Terri Sunderland, Greenville University's Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communication, is quoted in the book. "We have noticed in recent years that belonging is increasingly important to this generation. Students want to know if they will fit in at your university. Athletic teams can't be the only way students find their people. We have invested in many extra-curricular groups and organizations, but students need even more to help them holistically – academic, mental, emotional, and spiritual support. We have scholarship groups that engage in activities together and provide growth and character-building opportunities. We are continually looking for ways to create bonds between students and with faculty and staff members."

Additionally, Pitts highlighted unique academic programs at Greenville University like Agribusiness, Audio Engineering, Commercial Music Performance, Crisis Management, Equine Assisted Services, Human Biology, Jewish Christian Studies, Worship Arts, Sport Management, Special Education, Criminal Justice, Digital Media, Engineering, Social Work, Organizational Leadership, Nursing, Digital Media, and a very robust Education Department which even includes Early Childhood programming and Driver's Education endorsements.

According to Pitts, "Thanks to a robust financial aid program (including all the above-mentioned scholarships), Greenville becomes one of the lowest-priced colleges in Illinois."

At the 120 colleges Pitts features, he highlights majors like: anthrozoology, comedy studies, cycling, motorsport management, automotive restoration, bourbon studies, hip hop and R&B, space science, astrobiology, wilderness medicine, and green chemistry. He also highlighted features like “take your pet to college” and “one-course-at-a-time curriculum.” Pitts believes that learning more about these cool programs will help students think creatively about their major and career choices and that college administrators, always searching for "something new and different," might also get inspiration from his book.

"Cool Stuff at Small Colleges" is available on Amazon.