Summary:
Case Western Reserve University is a research college located in Cleveland, OH. They pride themselves on real-world, hands-on learning with a strong research spine. While they are known for research, they also offer robust art programs. They target high school graduates from around the world with a strong sense of wanting to create change in the world around them through proven data.
Analysis:
On Case Western Reserve University’s website, they use pathos and ethos to lure graduating high school seniors to attend. They don’t want just any type of student; they want a student that can, “think beyond the possible” (CWRU, “Landing Page”). This will be a necessary way of thinking about one’s future while navigating their way through CWRU’s curriculum, a curriculum that will support students who want to be innovators, trailblazers, healers, scholars, performers, and creators in a researched-based, hands-on way. They display this by having a video on their landing page of students performing their major. Showing prospective students that the current students are learning by doing then stating that, “99% of our undergrads take part in experiential learning, including research, co-ops, and internships” (CWRU, “Landing Page”).
While doing research for this analysis, the university changed its website. An observation that was made from the previous format to the current one is one of integrity through ethos. In the previous format, there was a statement about how the university has a “responsibility to work to eradicate systemic racism” (CWRU, “Landing Page”). Jump to the current format, and you see a diverse student body along with a professor who is a black woman wearing her hair in dreadlocks, which has been used as a form of discrimination. Seeing this on their website is showing prospective students that they can come to the table as their full selves, which will allow them to engage in learning and contributing more deeply.
The student body appears to be a diverse one with an emphasis on learning and being someone that could help with positive change for the future. This is demonstrated on the landing page, where the school highlights five different research projects that have gone on at CWRU and four quotes from a variety of students. Winston K. states, “One of the best things about CWRU is they accept you holistically. CWRU wants you to find what you want to do in life, without added pressure” (CWRU, “Landing Page”). Seeing a student of color talk about being holistically accepted at the school reiterates their ethos of getting rid of systemic racism.
When leaving for college, there are a lot of concerns about what this new chapter is going to look like with the ever-changing social climate that we are in. However, CWRU has set up safety nets for young students. They have programs that allow students to get free shuttles across campus or an escort to lessen the probability of getting attacked. They even have a mobile app called “Rave Guardian” that students can download and link to their student email address to contact campus police in seconds. If you’re a student that likes to make sure you don’t have only one line of defense, then the school offers self-defense classes. Having these programs set in place shows the students that they not only see that there are external fears outside of academia, but they have built programs to empower students to take care of themselves (CRWU, “Health and Safety”).
Case Western Reserve University appeals to high school graduates that want to be humanitarians. You see this in the way they talk about offering different schools of thought from biology to medicine to manufacturing to the arts. How they do things differently is based on the ongoing research that the school is known for, like seeing how different types of acting can improve the mental health of kids or discovering a protein in the gut crucial to healing gut disease. They are sticking to their word of “One breakthrough at a time, we’re helping to build a better world” (CWRU, “Research”).
Response:
After looking over Case Western Reserve University’s website, I could tell that even though I am an older, transfer student, there would be a place for me there because of the school’s humanitarian ethos. Seeing that the school didn’t center itself around Greek life and the school’s sports teams but around the Arts and local food scene gave me the feeling of a more sensible student body.
When analyzing the school’s website, seeing their commitment to research, and teaching the next world leaders, I got the feeling that they are producing a community of people that will hold others accountable through data. Yes, data can be viewed as cold and lifeless, but exposing the students to the local visual and performing art can evoke a more well-rounded student. Also, having a diverse student body, with over 90 different countries represented at the university, will allow the students to experience a culture they may not be used to (CWRU, “Landing Page”).
Before the website change, I found one video on CWRU’s “About Page” that spoke to me as a potential student going into a science field. The video was made by the marketing and communications students, and it showed diverse people in the greater community enjoying local food, entertainment, and camaraderie. This let me know, as someone that enjoys going to plays and farmer’s markets, that I would be about to find like-minded people outside of Greek life and sports groups. If Case Western Reserve University was located in Atlanta, GA, and I was awarded a scholarship, I would apply in a heartbeat.
Works Cited
“Health and Safety.” Case Western Reserve University, 2022, https://case.edu/campus-life/health-and-safety.
“Landing Page.” Case Western Reserve University, 2022, https://case.edu/.
“Research.” Case Western Reserve University, 2022, https://case.edu/cwruresearch.
