October 17, 2007

OWU Participates in New Web Site Designed to Help Students with Their College Search

Families immersed in the college search process now have a new tool to help with that endeavor. The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) has launched a Web site called the University & College Accountability Network or “U-CAN.” U-CAN provides easily accessible information that allows students and families to compare colleges based on a set of common attributes.

In an NAICU press release, organization president David L. Warren (and former president of OWU) says, “We are very excited about the launch of U-CAN. There are many consumer sources out there, but U-CAN offers something distinct.”

“The college profiles provide a unique mix of 42 quantitative elements, narrative descriptions, and 25 hyperlinks to campus Web sites,” Warren says. “Institutions not only report cut-and-dry statistics, but also have the opportunity to express what makes them special.”

The content categories in the university profiles on U-CAN are based on input from focus groups NAICU conducted over a year, in which they asked students and families what information they needed to help make an informed college choice.

U-CAN is unique because it is the first national source of consumer data for students and parents with information provided by the participating universities. More than 600 private colleges and universities are participating, with more than 440 profiles live—including Ohio Wesleyan’s—at the time of the site launch. The U-CAN site reports that another 150 profiles are expected to be published. This is great news for students and families seeking information.

“Research is important in the college selection process, and families spend significant time collecting information on colleges and universities so that they can compare them across various attributes,” says Margaret Drugovich, OWU vice president for strategic communications and university enrollment. “U-CAN now provides easy access to straight-forward, clear, verifiable, and important facts about each participating college. This should prove to be a useful, time saving tool for years to come.”

To find out more, visit the U-CAN Web site.

– Christopher Federer