Dear Unity College Community,

This week, I would like to share with you some of the ways in which Unity College has been recognized this year.  2020 has certainly been a year of challenges, however that has not stopped us from forging ahead to ensure the survival and long-term viability of Unity College.  With all of the exciting work happening at the College, it is wonderful to see regional and national organizations take notice.  

In February of this year, Unity College earned the 2020-2021 Military Friendly® School designation.  Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. We are incredibly proud to have received this designation for serving such an important student audience.  By continuing to diversify the ways in which veterans and those actively serving in the military can earn a Unity College education, we hope to become even more accessible to those doing the critical work of protecting our country. 

Unity College also received an important distinction from the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges Rankings, as a #1 Top Performer in Social Mobility. We know that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to finish college.  Unity College has proven to be more successful than many other institutions at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. This is a critical element of our Path Forward and an intentional push to make a Unity College education more accessible.

From the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges Rankings, Unity College was also ranked #11 in the Regional Colleges North category out of 57 other colleges. This category is focused on colleges who offer undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.  While Unity College continues to have liberal arts embedded in the core of its curriculum, our environmental and sustainability science focus allows us to reach new audiences.  Unity College graduates are not only equipped with the scientific skills and knowledge to tackle environmental issues but also graduate as strong critical thinkers, capable of putting theory into practice in a variety of settings.

Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recognizes Unity College in its Sustainable Campus Index for our commitment to sustainability in our undergraduate and graduate curriculum.  The AASHE 2020 Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing colleges and universities from across the country overall and in 17 distinct aspects of sustainability, measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Criteria include sustainable learning outcomes, immersive experiences, internships in sustainability fields, and sustainability courses and topics within courses.  

As Unity College continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of an increasing number of diverse audiences, we are proud to receive these recognitions.  However, we have even more pride in our alumni who are actively involved in grappling with environmental challenges and making the world a better place.  We look forward to graduating environmental stewards for generations to come.

Thank you, again, for engaging with Unity College and our students.  As always, please contact us at development@unity.edu, with any questions or comments you may have. 

In Unity,
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
President

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