@modeknit
I agree RE the loans and the more I examine UMM the more impressed I am. I believe they truly are a hidden jewel. Did you note the search for a new Chancellor? The CV and cover letter for the 3 final candidates are publicly available online now. I’ve read them and have a favorite. The decision will be announced in April … setting the stage for the campus’ development the next few years. Very important.
I promised a few months ago that I would report on my experiences of the Morris campus when I took my son to orientations this August. Here it is.
Wow! The UMN-Morris campus and the town of Morris exceeded my expectations. We arrived Friday afternoon, a day and a half before orientation to explore and acclimate. (Due to the fact that we’ve been living abroad the past few years, we weren’t able to visit during the college search process.) The small town, about 5000, of Morris is a jewel. I’ve driven through and visited several small towns, mostly in Texas and Washington state, and Morris gives a much more positive impression than those I’ve seen thus far. It’s safe. The streets are clean, well maintained and it’s easy to navigate through the town. The neighborhood to the southeast of the campus is gorgeous. All the houses are well maintained and lawns tended. In fact throughout the town (It didn’t take long to explore almost every corner 
we noticed only the occasional rundown building, but no un-cared-for neighborhoods. Due to the size of the town the range of shops (grocery, pharmacy, hardware, restaurant, cinema, etc.) are limited, but do provide all that an undergraduate student might need and … are within about a 15 minute walk of campus through that safe clean middle class neighborhood. If a student needs something unavailable at an in-town shop, they can drive or catch a ride (ride share program) to Alexandria, 50-60 minutes northeast. We drove to Alexandria Saturday afternoon out of curiosity and I needed just a couple more items from Target. There’s also a Walmart. Alexandria is much larger with a significantly wider range of local and chain stores and entertainment.
The UMN-Morris campus is gorgeous - buildings and grounds! The flower beds were fabulous. On Saturday, we strolled every path winding through the campus. In addition to the Mall in front of the Student Center, there are other spacious landscapes within and on the periphery of campus with well kept lawns, towering old trees … Both my son and I felt ‘at home’.
The move into the dorm was Sunday, also the first day of a 3 day orientation. My son’s dorm room in Pine Hall (one of the smaller) in the raised basement (the freshman level of this dorm) is bare bones, but the dorm over all is quite nice, especially the common areas. (I did not see the interior of any of the other dorms.) Though basic, it of course has everything he needs, furniture and closet. The orientation sessions on Sunday afternoon included parents for much of the day (ceremony and parent panel Q&A) and ended with a community picnic. Monday and Tuesday are for students only and they cover everything. I studied my son’s schedule and can’t imagine what else they might do to help the new students become familiar with the campus facilities and services.
Throughout my 4+ day stay observing the town and campus, I saw nothing that concerned me, raised a flag. In fact, I feel that UMN-Morris is just the right place at just the right time. My son reports that all his classes are small and he likes his professors. First day of class was Wednesday (Aug 24) of last week, so what else can be said at this point. The go-to-person for students who need accommodations was pro-active and contacted my son for a one-on-one appointment, which took place on Friday (the first week of the semester!). (Of course, my son had already indicated on a form that he would need them.) I was grateful and it’s evidence of the approach the Chancellor reported during Sunday’s parent panel is taken overall by campus student support services.
During that parent panel, I had asked a question regarding career counselling and internships - due to it’s remote location. The report on how that service functions and what is available was lengthy, detailed and reassuring. I commented that all a student need do was take the initiative to get help. To which the Chancellor replied that the student services approach was reciprocal, as it is understood that students are still young, distractible and have a lot on their plate.
I’m now back in Asia. Thank you tech lords for skype, iMessage, Facetime, and so on …
More later.
@mreap, thank you so much for your view of things at UMM. We are also interested in more info about Morris. We live in the Twin Cities (far eastern suburbs), and my D17 is somewhat worried about Morris being in too small a town. (That’s her one issue with Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, which she visited and otherwise loved.) I’m eager to tour Morris with her soon this fall.
I’m also concerned about the level of rigor for science majors, given their lower stats range of many of their applicants compared to a lot of other private LACs. I wonder if that’s just because the word’s not necessarily out that Morris might be a great place for some of the high-achieving kids to consider?? I’m not trying to sound snobby at all - I’m just hoping my daughter can find a place where the rigor is high & other students are really into their academics but the community is collaborative and not as competitive as some places.
One major plus so far for us – A friend who is a bigwig prof in chemistry at UMN Twin Cities CSE says they’ve had several chemistry grad students out of Morris who’ve come very nicely prepared. THAT’S saying a lot, I think !
Please keep up the posts & I will report back our impressions after visiting, too. Good luck to your son!
It’s been about 3 months since my last post. This post rambles a bit contains odds and ends of information about UMN - Morris gleaned from my son and my family’s circumstances.
Morris has not disappointed. It continues to be student centered / student success focused. This is what I’ve learned via my son: Professors email students who’ve missed class, failed to turn in assignments on time (wonder how he found that out :-); the academic advisor proactively contacts students for appointments before they can register for Spring (this appointment is required); the student success coach meets with students at least 3 times during the semester. The student health clinic is an oasis of kindness. All staff and faculty have been courteous and thoughtful. The dining hall food is great 95% of the time! The dorm monitor is awesome! The kitchen and laundry facilities are everything you could need and well maintained. He loves his dorm, Pine hall, but he really lucked out in being assigned to a smaller one.
Getting around town
It’s a 10 minute walk max to the Shopco pharmacy, 15 to Willies for groceries (for fall break and Thanksgiving when he had to stay on campus), 10 mins to Don’s Cafe and Common Coffee House, the barber, the movies, the food coop … Everything is convenient and the neighborhood is very safe.
No regrets - Minor complaints
He’s had not one regret or complaint … except the usual: someone smoked too close to the dorm (he hates tobacco smoke and it’s against campus rules), students occasionally talking too loud in the hall after 10:00PM, someone drank his milk (kept in the frig in dorm kitchen), that kind of thing …
Learning from Experience
My son took too heavy a load for his first semester and is struggling a bit, but will only take 3 classes in Spring semester (chemistry, calculus and college writing) all demanding core courses. His grades for Fall semester might not be as high as he hoped. The lesson is: don’t take 5 classes your first semester at college especially when you have as much to adjust to as he did.
Our Family
We’re Americans who’ve been working abroad the past few years. Since we’d be living in separate hemispheres, communication was a bit of a worry initially, but thankfully we have been able to stay as closely connected as we want at any time. I love Skype and iMessage! Facetime is a bit laggy. There are some other good apps, but I haven’t experimented with them since the two I mentioned have worked so well. If someone has used an app for international communication that they’ve really loved, I’d like to know. In any case, due to communication technology, the adjustment hasn’t been as difficult for either of use had I imagined it would be. We communicate regularly, somewhat more so toward the beginning of the semester than now. Though we are breaking all Skype records for Thanksgiving I had originally planned on visiting him in Morris in Summer 2017, but he emphatically made clear he needed to visit sooner, so I’m flying him back to SE Asia for the winter holiday. How could I have thought we could put up with a full year separation? You can imagine how much I’m looking forward to seeing him.
Back to Morris
The campus has a remarkable relationship with the town and surrounding community. The Center for Small Towns is located on campus. I don’t know a great deal about what they do, but know they’re quite active. I was more interested in the town’s sustainability initiatives that the campus is involved with. Very impressive. Go to the college website for a good read … there’s a lot of information. Morris (the campus and the town) are a model for sustainability. Given my son’s interest in environmental studies and chemistry, this is the perfect place for him.
What do I like most about UMN-Morris? The academics, especially in the sciences, are solid, but what I’m most impressed with - what matters most - is the culture: the commitment to community, the students, sustainable living, the kindness.
Four years at a campus in a rural setting isn’t for everyone, but if you think it could be for you, put Morris at the top of your list. The location may be rural, but the community is 21st century and pushing the envelope.