Quick Facts 2009

The College

Macalester College is a nationally prominent, privately supported liberal arts college. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-related but non- sectarian college; its first class entered September 15, 1885.

Macalester’s commitments to academic excellence, internationalism, diversity, and civic engagement are reflected in the lives of its graduates, including former United States Vice President Walter Mondale ’50 and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan ’61.

Admissions

• First-year applications to Macalester: 4,565
• Percent admitted: 46
• Incoming first-year class: 565
• Percent of incoming students in top quarter of high school class: 92.6
• National Merit Scholars in incoming first-year class: 39

Financial Aid

• Percent of first-year students receiving need-based grants from Macalester: 67
• Average first-year financial aid package, U.S. student: $31,838
• Percent of demonstrated student need met by Macalester financial aid: 100

Student Demographics

• Fall 2009 enrollment: 1,996 (1,958 full-time, 38 part-time, 58 percent female)
• U.S. states represented by Macalester students: 49
• Countries represented by Macalester students: 93
• Percent of U.S. students who are students of color: 21
• Percent of student body who are U.S. students of color: 20
• Percent increase in enrollment of students of color in past decade: 75
• Percent of international students (excluding students with dual citizenship): 11.8 If dual citizens and permanent U.S. residents are counted: 18

Faculty

• Number of full-time faculty members: 163
• Percent of full-time faculty with doctorate or highest degree in their field: 96
• Percent of U.S. and international faculty of color: 20
• Federal and foundation grants received in past year: $2.59 million
• Books published in past year: 15

Academics

• Academic majors in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and fine arts: 36 • Student-to-faculty ratio: 10.5:1
• Average class size: 16.6
• Courses offered: about 800
• 2009 graduates: 436
• Most popular majors among 2009 graduates: Economics 63 Political Science 55 English and Creative Writing 41 Psychology 42 International Studies 35
• 2009 awards:
2 Fulbright grants
1 Watson fellowships
1 National Science Foundation fellowship
1 Goldman Sachs Global Leaders scholarship
• Past 10 years:
4 Rhodes scholarships
27 Fulbright-Hays awards
19 National Science Foundation fellowships
13 Thomas J. Watson fellowships
3 Barry Goldwater scholarships 3 Goldman Sachs Global Leaders scholarships
2 Mellon fellowships
2 Bienecke scholarships
1 Harry S. Truman scholarships
1 British Marshall scholarship
2 Jack Kent Cooke scholarships
1 Morris Udall scholarship

Finances

• Endowment 6/30/09: $546 million
• Operating budget 2009–10: $86 million
• Private support 2008–09: $16.7 million
• Costs 2009–10: Tuition and fees: $37,974 Room and board: $ 8,768 Total: $46,742
• Goal of Step Forward campaign for capital, endowment, and operating priorities: $150 million. $111 million raised through October 2009.

Facilities

• Campus: 53 acres in a historic residential neighborhood in St. Paul, and the 280-acre Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area on the Mississippi River
• Buildings: 7 academic buildings, library, athletic and wellness complex, technology center, campus center, 10 residence halls, and more, totaling more than 1.2 million square feet
• Special residences: 5 language houses (French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish), 5 theme residences (EcoHouse, Chinese Suite, Cultural House, Hebrew House, Veggie Co-op)
• Leonard Center: 175,000-squarefoot, $45 million athletic and wellness complex, opened August 2008, houses facilities for fitness and wellness programs as well as training and competition areas
• Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center: meeting space, campus store, lecture and performance auditorium, food pavilions featuring foods from around the world
• Markim Hall: home of the Institute for Global Citizenship, received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009. Markim Hall is the first higher education facility in Minnesota to earn LEED Platinum certification. Platinum is the highest level of certification.
• Olin-Rice Science Center: generous laboratory space for classes and student-faculty research; open design that facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration
• DeWitt Wallace Library: houses 450,000 volumes, subscribes to 1,350 journals, and provides access to more than 16,000 electronic journals, 40,000 e-books, and 10,000 audiovisual materials including film and music. Online services provide access to 1.5 million volumes at seven nearby colleges and materials at libraries throughout the world.
• Flags: Macalester displays the United States flag and, continuously since 1950, the United Nations flag. Flags of students’ home countries are flown on a rotating basis outside Carnegie Hall.

Campus Life

• Student clubs and organizations: 85
• Musical performance ensembles: 16
• Students participating in theater productions: 250
• Students participating in dance productions: 100
• Students participating in varsity athletics: 335
• All-America student athletes: 1
• All-MIAC first-team athletes: 20
• Community service hours: 48,077

Special Programs

• Study abroad: About 60 percent of Macalester students study abroad for academic credit. In 2008-09, 237 students studied abroad for a semester or more, in 48 countries.
• Internship program: Each year, more than 250 students earn academic credit for supervised internships with local, national, and international businesses and organizations. In 2008-09, 301 students completed internships at 200 locations around the world.
• Civic engagement: Each semester, more than half of students engage in local community work through a community-based course, applied research, off-campus work-study, community service, or a civic leadership program. More than 92 percent are active in the Twin Cities urban community before graduating.

Intercollegiate Sports

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball, water polo

Alumni

• Number of alumni: 24,762
• Alumni in Twin Cities area: 7,980
• Percent who pursue an advanced degree within three years of graduation: 60
• Macalester ranking among all liberal arts colleges in number of alumni who earned a doctorate between 1997 and 2006: 18

Macalester College · 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105 USA · 651-696-6000
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