Kalamazoo College (KZOO)

The mission of Kalamazoo College is to prepare its graduates to better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world.

Together in a fellowship in learning, the members of the Kalamazoo College community are developing a model of an educated citizen that combines scholarship, civic engagement, and in-depth living experiences in other countries.

As a highly selective, nationally renowned, and internationally oriented four-year college of arts and sciences, Kalamazoo College has developed a tradition of excellence in the fulfillment of this mission. It is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and enrolls 1,340 students from 38 states and 14 countries. Founded in 1833, "K" College is among the 100 oldest colleges and universities in the nation.

For more than 30 years, Kalamazoo College has offered a nationally-recognized curriculum called the Kalamazoo Plan (often nicknamed the "K" Plan), an undergraduate experience of rigorous liberal arts scholarship and opportunities for experiential education in both domestic and international settings. The "K" plan has four components: on-campus liberal arts courses and a Senior Individualized Project are required for all students, while career development internships and study abroad are optional. The "K" plan provides students with a global awareness through study abroad, career exploration through internships, experience in independent thinking and research through the Senior Individualized Project, and a broad exposure to ways of understanding the world through on-campus courses in the liberal arts and sciences.

Kalamazoo College has 103 full-time faculty members, 93 percent of whom hold a PhD or the highest degree in their field. The student-faculty ratio is 12-to-1. Teaching is the most important responsibility of the faculty.

Kalamazoo College is located in a quiet residential section of Kalamazoo , a city with a metropolitan population of more than 225,000 in scenic southwest Michigan. The city's downtown district is within easy walking distance from the campus, and other shopping malls, as well as movies and restaurants, are a short bike or bus ride away. Western Michigan University is only a few blocks from the campus. The College maintains a close and active involvement with the Kalamazoo community, which supports, among other cultural activities, a symphony, a chamber music society, an annual Bach Music Fesitval, an art institute, professional baseball and hockey teams, a nature center, and several theatres.

The cultural offerings of the College, the city, and other colleges in the area, together with the natural beauty of southwest Michigan's lakes and rolling hills, give Kalamazoo residents and students alike an enviable quality of life.

Kalamazoo is just 35 miles from Lake Michigan and approximately 140 miles from both Detroit and Chicago on Interstate 94. Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport is served by several major airlines and Amtrak service is available several times a day.