Stephens College: Bold Education for Bold Women

It’s an exciting time for women’s voices to be heard. They’re growing stronger, impacting all levels of society. Females are breaking through the glass ceilings of corporations and taking seats around the leadership table. The roster of women claiming their rightful place in public office is rising. 

Stephens College, the second oldest women’s college in the nation, has always believed a woman’s voice should be heard; that’s relevant now more than ever. Located in Columbia, Missouri, a top-ranked college town with 36,000 students, Stephens offers a broad range of majors and minors to propel alumni to career heights—a residential, undergraduate women’s college and a variety of coed programs at the graduate level and online. 

Dedicated to lifelong learning, Stephens College prides itself on being “home to bold women with bright dreams since 1833.” With a heritage of experiential education leading to successful outcomes among graduates, today its mission of “Learn. Grow. Lead.” creates an environment of opportunity and inspiration for all students.

Student Success
“All young women should have Stephens on their college search list. They’re doing themselves a disservice not to consider us because studies show that an all-women’s education leads to phenomenal career success,” noted Tiffany Goalder, director of undergraduate admissions, Stephens College. “In a time when a college education has become the next step, I advise women to ask themselves what’s the best way to achieve your dreams and what college can help you get there. Frankly, some universities only want to get you in, get you to class and get your degree. Stephens College is not like that. You leave with a world-wide network of sisters, so much more than a sheet of paper.”

As a Stephens alum, with a BS in marketing, public relations and advertising and a master’s in strategic leadership, Tiffany, a Sedalia, Missouri, native, knows the success to be achieved by attending Stephens College. The campus boasts 600 residential undergraduates and 300 graduate students with an impressive student-to-instructor ratio of less than ten to one. Thirty percent of the student body is women of color, and 65 percent of the students hail from Missouri and 35 percent from throughout the world.

“I come from a long line of empowered women. My mom and grandmother are strong and powerful. I combined that with my education at Stephens and with the role models and mentors I’ve made here. Together, we’ve opened doors I didn’t even know existed,” stated Tiffany. “The Stephens motto is Dream Up. It’s specific and yet open-ended to the individual. I make an impact daily because I love what I do. If I didn’t feel I was making a difference, it wouldn’t be a fit for me. It’s empowering to know you can make change happen, and you can grow and better your place and yourself every day. I learned that here at Stephens.”

Affordability
Stephens prides itself as a stellar private school and recognizes the burden of staggering tuition to achieve a higher degree, especially for the middle class. It’s taken a leadership role in higher education by creating a plan to help students and their parents address that cost. 

“The Stephens Solution: College Affordability Plan has been introduced this fall for incoming 2019 undergraduates. We’ve lowered our tuition by $8,250, down to $22,500, making us very competitive in our region when compared to private institutions. Add in our merit- and need-based financial aid, and we’re comparable with state institutions, allowing everyone the advantages of a Stephens education,” commented Tiffany. “The benefits of a private education are well known, and we want more students and families to visit and take a closer look at the nationally ranked academic programs we offer in a vibrant college town. This tuition reduction will also help those receiving federal aid to make their money go further. The Stephens Solution is a way for us to express how much we believe in what we’re offering and that we don’t want costs to be an obstacle in coming to our campus for students and families. It’s an investment worth making, leading to career success.”

Fostering Friendship
As an extra bonus, Stephens College ranks as the number one pet-friendly campus in the nation. All dorms except one are open to residents and their four-legged friends. There’s even a doggy daycare on campus. For those without their own pets, Stephens encourages interested students to foster a pet until it’s adopted through its partnership with Second Chance, a no-kill shelter.

If you’re looking for an amazing college experience in a safe, supportive campus at a place that does things a bit differently, consider Stephens College. “We have so many successful alumnae in KC and want more people know about this amazing college and our wonderful campus,” shared Tiffany. “When students visit, they quickly realize the amazing things that can happen for them by attending Stephens College. Dream Up!” ■

For more information, visit stephens.edu.