We have a winner!

For months now a certain young woman of our household has been weighing the pros and cons of several institutions of higher learning that have been vying for her matriculation. As of yesterday, we have a victor. Come August, Caitlin will be enrolling at Truman State University!

The wonderful thing about this is that Truman has mostly been Caitlin's preference all along. It is known for rigorous liberal arts, is academically strong, is on the smallish side as colleges go (6,000 students), economical by today's standards (out-of-state cost around $22,000/year), and is in the quiet town of Kirksville, Missouri (population about 17,000). It is appealing geographically (we can drive there in seven hours.) There is a Lutheran campus center and an LCMS church in town that picks up the students for worship on Sunday. Truman advertises itself as the most selective public institution in Missouri and is consistently on various national "best" lists. Throughout Caitlin's search Truman has been the most communicative and attentive, reaching out to her repeatedly with phone calls, mailings, and personal messages, including from the Director of Admissions. Truman was first in line with a clear and competitive scholarship and financial aid package, and we were tempted to have Caitlin accept it before now. But mindful of the importance of this decision, and knowing Caitlin had until May 1 to accept, we advised her to wait and watch to see if there might be something else forthcoming from one of the other schools she was considering that would put them ahead. And, of course, we prayed that the way would be made clear.

In sum, there has been nothing from any other school to surpass the offer from Truman, and a few weeks ago Caitlin received notice that they had enhanced their original offer to the tune of another $1000/year. Woo-hoo! We are thrilled, and Caitlin is so relieved to finally have some closure and to be able to start making concrete plans. Here we go again with number two and all the excitement mixed with sadness that that entails for Caitlin's parents. This week we are getting a taste of what life will be like in the fall with only me and Phillip, Evan and Grandma in the house (Caitlin is visiting friends). I'm not liking it much, but I am overjoyed for my daughter. Truman State University, a tip of the hat to you for appreciating the mind and heart of this young woman and for going to work to reel her in. We are looking forward to the next four years.

 Grim Hall, Caitlin's first choice of dorm.

 Downtown Kirksville

GO BULLDOGS!