Guide To Roanoke College

Roanoke College, the country's second oldest Lutheran-related college, is an independent, co-educational, four-year liberal arts college. Roanoke is one of just 270 colleges nationwide with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. The Princeton Review names Roanoke as one of the "best in the Southeast." Roanoke’s 1,900 students represent 41 states across the U.S. and 25 foreign countries.

Mazaffara Asadova (Tajikistan) '07 chats with fellow students.

Roanoke College is recognized as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the Southeastern United States by U.S. News and World Report..  Among other distinctions, Roanoke is a member of the Associated Universities of Oak Ridge TN (for scientific research in Earth Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Nuclear physics, Chemistry, etc.). The Chemistry department is accredited by the American Chemical Society and the Business department by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs. 

One of the most attractive features of Roanoke College is its strong faculty with a proven record as teachers and scholars.  Among the faculty's recent accomplishments:

• Dr. Elizabeth de Velazquez of the business department was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in Mexico and is currently establishing a trade partnership in Oaxaca.
• Dr. Anil Shende in the computer science department has been honored for creating a new test for non-majors to demonstrate their computer skills upon graduation (TekXam).
• Dr. Gerald McDermott in the religion department has written several volumes on the theology of Jonathan Edwards, published by Oxford University Press.
• Dr. Robert Schultz, the John P. Fishwick Professor of English, is the author of the novel The Madhouse Nudes, and a collection of poems, Winter in Eden.
• Dr. Dolores Flores Silva is a published playwright, actress and director who has recently given papers on Latin American literature in Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and her native Mexico.
• Dr. Joshua Rubongoya, a native of Uganda, is writing a book on democratization in Africa.  He has led numerous student groups to Tanzania for the May Travel program

Roanoke College also offers a high-tech infrastructure on campus and provides e-mail, voice mail, cable television and internet access in all residence halls and offices. Classrooms have full video and computer capability; students run the computer help desk and assist the webmaster with upgrading the College Web site.  Eleven computer labs on campus offer personal assistance with 178 computers. There is also a full media services department in Fintel Library which houses 215,000 books. All classrooms, academic buildings, the Colket Student Center, the Fintel Library and many residence halls are connected to the campus' wireless network. 

Students at Roanoke College have a high academic profile. They enter the school with Scholastic Achievement Test (national examination of skills in English and Mathematics) scores averaging 1123 out of a possible perfect score of l600. Nearly 20 percent of the College's student body graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.  The College offers many academic scholarships and awards, as well as advanced placement for high scores on International Baccalaureate and other national examinations. 

Some of the academic programs that make Roanoke unique are the Summer Scholars program for intensive research with faculty members (includes $2,500 or $1,000 stipend and full room and board for 10 weeks) and the Honors Program for students with a distinguished academic record. Students can earn 58 academic prizes and awards for their academic achievement and the College is a member of 20 national honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa.

International Student Services at Roanoke College offers counseling, immigration services and organizations like the International Club, Shades of Maroon and the Hispanic organization, HOLA. International students receive housing on campus, excellent dining services, friendship (host) families, advanced English as a Second Language courses and work available on campus. Roanoke College also provides support for students during the interims when campus housing is closed and students can take advantage of academic programs like peer tutoring and conversation partners.

Roanoke College has an attractive campus environment of large grassy quadrangles, surrounded by neo-classical brick buildings, ancient oak trees and quiet retreats. To make the campus even better for students, the College has recently completed large improvement projects, such as the $12 million student center completed in August 2000. Roanoke's stately administration building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The College also owns a golf course near the campus and an indoor swimming pool is available year round. A new entrance and three new dormitories with spacious suites and open lounges were completed in August 2005, followed by the completion of a fourth new dormitory and the renovation of Miller Hall.

Community resources include the historic city of Salem (population of 25,000) which surrounds the college; Main Street has several interesting restaurants, shops and boutiques, while service stores such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart are in walking distance from campus; the city of Roanoke (93,600 people in the metro area) dominates the valley and  possesses an attractive market square with historic buildings, coffee shops, restaurants and an open air produce market. Both Roanoke and Salem have been named All-American cities and the area has been recognized as one of the top places to live in the U.S. in several publications. The elevation is 1,149 feet (350 m) and the average daily temperature is a moderate 67ºF. Salem's unique fast food diner, Fast Freddy's, has Jamaican jerked chicken, Marlin escabeche and Whiskey River Salmon to go. Check out the Web sites for Salem and Roanoke for more information. 

Only 10 minutes from campus are the famous Appalachian Trail, a hiking path from Maine to Georgia, and the noted Blue Ridge Parkway which is a scenic drive from Virginia to North Carolina.  White water rafting, skiing and other outdoor activities are organized every weekend through the College's Outdoor Adventure center, while day trips to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and other sites occur regularly.

Intellectual distinctions at Roanoke College include:

• The Copenhaver Visiting Scholar Program which brings a distinguished teacher or researcher to campus each semester.
• The Fowler Distinguished Lecture Series which has brought to campus renowned authors and statesmen such as Henry Kissinger, Alex Haley, Presidents Ford and Carter, as well as international dignitaries like Helmut Schmidt, Lech Walesa and Vladimir Sakharov. Recent speakers have included Oscar Arias, Benazir Bhutto and Edward Said.
• The Center for Community Research
• The Center for Religion and Society

Friendly and safe, the campus is a walker's delight and international students are encouraged to leave their cars at home.  Faculty and staff are very interested in students' welfare and maintain regular office hours to encourage students to seek them out for discussion. The international student adviser or another college official meets arriving students at the Roanoke airport, only 10 minutes from campus, with direct connections to Washington-Dulles and Atlanta international airports. Both Washington and Charlotte, N.C., are less than four hours away by car or bus. Historic Virginia was home to four of the nation's presidents and is one of the most interesting American states for its long history, including the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in 1607.
 
Off campus activities available to students include the Washington Semester, a cooperatively owned set of penthouse apartments in Washington D.C. where Roanoke College students may stay for one term, taking two courses in tandem with a full-time internship in one of the offices located in the national capitol; the International Student Exchange Program, through which students may study abroad  in over 100 foreign universities; and affiliation agreements with other universities in England, Korea, China and Japan.