By Drew Tucker, communications assistant

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — With chairs filled, papers scattered across tables, and looks of concentration shown, only one phrase could describe this experience: life-changing. Potential students were given a Summer Preview at Campbellsville University's Larry and Beverly Noe Education Center in Somerset on Aug. 15 to show them what CU has to offer.

After dinner with CU Office of Admissions team members, guests were escorted into a classroom where Zach Smith, admissions counselor, took the stage.

“Thank you for coming tonight,” he said. “I just wanted to tell you a little bit about what CU has to offer.”

Smith said CU has small class sizes where the students and professors actually got to know each other. There is a 13:1 student teacher ratio.

“This was one of the reasons I chose CU myself,” he said, and then added that nowhere else would a professor put their personal cell phone number on the syllabus.

Due to the small class sizes, the students can have one-on-one time with their professor and the professors can even promote and recommend them for a job “because your professors are going to know you,” he said.

Field trips are also an option due to the class sizes, and that can include just having a class outside, called “active learning.”

Smith said there are more than 60 academic options at Campbellsville University for undergraduate students, “with a 98 percent acceptance rate to professional schools.”

Among the various programs are education, music, business, theology, social work, nursing, “and lots of academic opportunities,” he said.

He said a friend of his was able to graduate in three years at CU, and then got accepted into University of Kentucky's Pharmacy School, and that she was able to do that because she talked to her professor.

Campbellsville University, with strong Baptist ties, has strong Christian values, he said.

“We are intentional in ministry; intentional in missions. We have majors in theology, and athletic bible studies where student-athletes embrace their spiritual growth. We run field trips through the Bible Campus Ministry, and even have a student-led worship service called OASIS once a week,” Smith said.

“These are just some of the ways for students to connect,” he said.

He said how diverse the campus was, with students attending from 30 different states and 40 different countries, with flags from South Korea, Greece, Ireland and other countries hanging up in the school's Student Activities Center.

“You will have at least one class with an international student,” he said, “and you'll have the opportunity to learn with them.”

The “student-abroad” program was mentioned, where students have the opportunity to travel to another country during a semester and learn about the culture. This would result in college credit.

“That's the one thing I kind of regret not doing,” he said, before moving on to campus life.

Welcome Week at CU will have 40 different events, where the students always try to break a world record. Last year they attempted to break the world's largest game of freeze tag, and in 2009 they broke the world record for most stacked mattresses.

“There is so much to do that weekend that there's not room to do every event,” he said.

There's also the Student Activities Center, he explained, where students can play corn hole, ping pong, billiards, watch movies, play video games and just interact with other students.

“You can see students' interactions and see them having a good time,” he said.

He said that there was one word that most people felt upon visiting campus: peace.

“The campus is beautiful and you can see students' interactions and see them having a good time,” he said, “but you also have the peace to have a Bible study or read or study.”

Another aspect to the CU campus is its growth.

“CU is constantly building and growing,” he said.

There is updated furniture in the residence halls with a new residence village ready for occupancy. Residence villages are townhouses where six students can share a single apartment. There are no class specific residence halls, he said.

Other new facilities, to open soon, include Papa Johns and the Tigerville Grill, a university-run restaurant.

“We'll also be getting a new health and wellness center for students soon,” he said. “We want to make sure that you're comfortable. We care for you as an individual - from the professors right down to the custodial staff.”
In order to attend Campbellsville University, he explained, there are certain requirements that must be met. You must have a 19 on your ACT and at least a 2.0 GPA. You also need your high school transcript. He also invited them to come to Preview Day on September 21 and November 2.

“Preview Day is where I made my decision to come to Campbellsville,” he said.

He then explained financial aid, FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and the different scholarships the students could apply for, which include: The Academic Merit Scholarship, President's Scholarship, Governors Scholarship, Rogers Scholarship, Church-Related Scholarship, and a Baptist Leadership Award for Baptist students.

Admissions counselors Cindy Dishman and Katie Carpenter discuss Campbellsville University with Margaret McGowen and Larissa Miller. From left: Dishman, McGowan, Miller and Carpenter. (Campbellsville University Photo by Drew Tucker)

Cindy Dishman, admissions counselor in Somerset, said classes in Somerset are offered at night, Monday to Thursday, and that the courses offered are: Criminal Justice Administration, Early Childhood Education, Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education and Social Work.

“There was a student I once knew who was one semester away from graduating but was going to drop out due to too many loans,” she said, “but through a donation, the student was able to graduate. We have very generous donors.”

She said the many advantages to the CU Somerset, which included a receiving personal attention to help reach education goals, and a Christian environment.

“We really equip our students to be servant leaders,” she said.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 44 undergraduate programs, 16 master's degrees and four postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.