Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia was founded in 1960 as a feeder school for The College if William and Mary. Today it's a medium-sized public university in its own right. University President Paul Trible transformed Christopher Newport from a local commuter school to a premier liberal arts college during his 26-year tenure which ended in 2022. Among the new President Kelly's objectives are rebuilding connections and forming new partnerships with the local community and increasing the out-of-state and international populations, both of which took a hit in COVID and haven't come back up.

With 4500 students, Christopher Newport is that mid-sized institution thar so many students want. With a selective honors program and a President's Leadership Program, there are ample academic opportunities where students can challenge themselves. With the latter, students find their leadership skills developed in and out of the classroom and receive a minor in leadership. Here's what I love: they learn about being a leader not THE leader. They're also required to have deep involvement in community engagement. This is not just racking up the hours; very intentional, consistent service over four years with a particular organization is expected.

Christopher Newport feels a little bit like Elon and High Point and our admissions rep felt those were similar student populations and academic philosophies: complementing the academics, students are guided in the development of soft skills outside the classroom where students learn how to network and eat at a business dinner.

The campus is gorgeous and very well maintained with new-ish buildings in the neoclassical style - think lots of red brick and white pillars. Students are required to live on campus for 3 years, and who wouldn't want to?

In fact, 70% of seniors choose to.

Christopher Newport has a warm fuzzy feeling that I like in small liberal arts colleges. For example, every year, they celebrate Signing Day in the spring when all sophomores declare their major, and all the faculty members attend to support them. Also, if you're coming in from out-of-town to visit, there's an Amtrak station three and a half miles away, and admissions officers have been known to pick students up from the train station to bring them to campus. If you're coming in from further away, there are three airports within an hour's drive in Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News.

The all-in price for out-of-state students is $46K and scholarships can take that price down, especially if the student is accepted to the honors or President's Leadership program. And applying early action or early decision is advised for maximum consideration for scholarships. With majors including engineering, education, performing arts, business and the liberal arts, Christopher Newport is worth a look!