SAGE Scholars Monthly Newsletter | May 2024

Mount Marty University Joins SAGE Scholars College Consortium

Mount Marty University is located along the Missouri River in charming and historic Yankton, South Dakota. With approximately 1,000 students, the University offers a peaceful and welcoming community environment nestled amid beautiful parks, historic buildings, and outdoor recreational opportunities. Founded in 1936 by the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, Mount Marty provides quality education and promotes a culture of service and leadership in the community. With a commitment to values-based education, Mount Marty quickly became a leading institution in the region, offering a wide range of academic programs and extracurricular activities. The university's founding principles of faith, community, and excellence continue to guide its mission while shaping the intellectual and cultural fabric of Yankton and beyond. SAGE Scholars warmly welcomes Mount Marty University to our college consortium.

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Sterling College Joins the SAGE Scholars College Consortium

Nestled in the picturesque Craftsbury Valley, Vermont, Sterling College is a leader in Environmental Studies, offering an education that uses local farms, forests, rivers, and wetlands as living classrooms. Learning at Sterling is personalized, outdoor-oriented, community-centered, and rooted in hands-on experience. Students earn credit and gain expertise through courses, work, experiential endeavors, and seminars. By giving equal importance to work, study, and community living, a Sterling education is truly unique. We are thrilled to welcome Sterling College, with its deep commitment to ecological awareness and action, to the growing SAGE Scholars College Consortium.

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Encouraging Independence: How to Help Your Ninth Grader Take Ownership of Their College Prep Journey

By SAGE Scholars

As the parent of a ninth grader, you may be starting to think about your child's future and how they can best prepare for college. It can be overwhelming to navigate the college prep process, but it is crucial to start early and empower your child to take ownership of their academic and extracurricular pursuits. Encouraging independence and creating a sense of responsibility early helps to set your ninth grader up for success throughout their college preparation process. Read More

Starting a Club or Organization on Campus

By Xavier Royer

Many students have plenty of time over the summer between finishing high school and starting college, as they no longer have the athletics or other activities tied to high school, nor do they have the responsibilities or goals of college students. It is easy to imagine students picking up new hobbies with all the extra time. Maybe a student binges on Queen's Gambit and picks up chess in a serious way. Or maybe a random trip to Jo Anne's Fabric results in a curiosity-turned-obsession with knitting. Whether the hobby or extracurricular is old or new, many students will arrive on campus hoping to continue those activities in a formal community. Chess.com offers great tools and resources for new players, but jamming anonymous games against strangers is far less fun than playing across from a person with real wooden pieces. Knitting can also be amplified by a group, particularly as a catalyst for learning new techniques and patterns. It could be deflating to show up to campus only to find no such community exists. Rather than sulk away and accept defeat, this article will offer another solution: start the club yourself. Clubs must start somewhere, and there is no reason students should not just take it upon themselves. Read More

Maximizing Mentorship

By Justina Thompson

College can be an overwhelming and sometimes isolating experience for many students. Whether you are a first-year student trying to navigate the transition from high school to college, or a senior preparing for graduation and entering the workforce, having a mentor can greatly enhance your college experience and set you up for success in your academic and professional endeavors. So, what should you look for in a mentorship? How can you maximize the benefits of such a relationship? This article explores these questions and provides some tips for finding and making the most of a mentorship during your college years. Read More

Bentley Ranked Top 10 in the Nation for Earnings 10 Years After Graduation

Bentley University graduates are earning among the highest salaries in the country 10 years after graduation, according to new findings from the HEA Group, an education research group, based on U.S. Department of Education data. The assessment, which looked at the income of over 5 million former students from over 3,887 higher-education institutions nationwide, named Bentley in the top 10 of these institutions for graduates with the highest median incomes 10 years after graduation, with incomes exceeding graduates from universities such as Yale, Columbia, Harvard and others.

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Helping Your Ninth Grader Choose the Right High School Courses for College Prep

By SAGE Scholars

As a parent, one of the most important tasks you have is guiding your child through their high school years and helping them to make decisions that set them up for their future success. One of the key decisions your ninth grader will need to make is choosing their high school courses — especially if they are considering attending college after graduation. Universities look for applicants who challenge themselves and take the initiative to maximize the education offered to them. Read More

The Rise of College eSports

By Justina Thompson

Recently, eSports organizations and clubs have increased in prominence on college campuses. Once considered a niche hobby, eSports, or competitive video gaming, has grown exponentially in popularity and has made its mark on college campuses nationwide. Students competing in these tournaments have the opportunity to earn lucrative contracts, huge social media followings, and passionate fandoms. This article explores the growing trend of eSports at the collegiate level, highlighting its impact on campus culture and student engagement. Additionally, we will shed light on the involvement of SAGE Scholars Member Institutions in offering eSports programs, contributing to the rapid growth of this exciting field. Read More

Exploring HSI's in the SAGE Scholars Consortium

By SAGE Scholars

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) have a longstanding history in the United States, dating back to the mid-20th century. The Higher Education Act of 1965 officially established HSI's as institutions with a high enrollment of Hispanic students, typically representing at least 25% of the total student population. Today, HSIs provide support and resources to Hispanic students, who historically have faced barriers to accessing higher education. HSIs, since their beginning, have played a crucial role in increasing college participation and graduation rates among Hispanic students, contributing to the overall diversity and inclusivity of higher education in the United States. Currently, over 500 HSIs across the country serve as vital institutions that promote academic success and social mobility for Hispanic students. Read More

Pratt Institute Ranked Sixth in World's Top Art & Design Universities

Pratt Institute is ranked #6 out of 241 US and international art and design universities in the QS World University by Subject 2024. The listing also ranks Pratt #4 in the United States. Additionally, Pratt was ranked #17 in the History of Art category. Published annually, the rankings assess the world's top universities in 55 individual subjects based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact. They are published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), one of the world's leading sources of comparative data about university performance. Read More

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A significant change to 529 plans helps remove a major sticking point

By Steve Logan

Thanks to the Secure 2.0 Act, a part of the omnibus appropriations bill that became law at the end of 2022, a major concern from many families about saving for college in a 529 savings plan has been eliminated. Beginning on January 1, 2024, unused funds in a 529 savings plan can be converted to a Roth IRA — free of income tax and penalties. Prior to this change, money in a 529 savings plan had to be used for "qualified education expenses," such as tuition, books, fees, room and board. In addition to those expenses, you could also change the designated beneficiary of the 529 plan to another child, grandchild or even yourself or your spouse. If you had "leftover" money in your 529 savings plan and simply went to withdraw it, you would generally owe ordinary income tax as well as a 10 percent penalty on the amount withdrawn attributable to earnings. Read More

Co-op Programs: A Valuable Tool for College Students

By Justina Thompson

In recent years, co-op programs have become increasingly popular among college students looking to gain hands-on experience in their field of study. These programs, which combine academic coursework with practical work experience, offer students a unique opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. This article explores what co-op programs are, why they matter, how they work, and the benefits and downfalls of participating in such programs. Read More

Diversity of the SAGE Scholars Consortium

By SAGE Scholars

One of the key aspects of the SAGE Scholars consortium is its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. SAGE Scholars consortium of colleges and universities has continued to expand during the 2024 calendar year, with each new member strengthening the already robust offerings. To date, we've welcomed four member colleges — Belmont Abbey College (NC), University of Scranton (PA), Southwest Baptist University (MO), and Sterling College (VT) — representing two geographic regions in the United States. With over 450 colleges, we're proud that our member college consortium provides families with a vast range of offerings in their college selection process. Whatever students choose to emphasize in their college search, whether geographic region, athletics, student body population, religion, or specialization, our consortium has something to offer. Read More

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