Pluspunten
The cost of living is low. This is helpful since college salaries are low too. On average, faculty salaries are about $15,000 less than the national average for the same position at other colleges/universities.
Minpunten
The college is suffering from serious mismanagement. When I arrived at Ripon College there were more than 1000 students enrolled. In the spring of 2018 there were only 708 students. This has severely impacted the financial outlook of the college, which has been compounded by the poor choices of an uninspiring and unethical administration. For instance, the college pretends to promote transparency and accountability, but this is merely talk. In practice, the administration routinely overturns faculty committee decisions and violates faculty handbook rules. The new general education curriculum (Catalyst) also is a complete sham. Students only need a D- to pass five courses (a "pass" will appear on their transcript) to receive a certificate of "applied innovation." Their lack of investment in Catalyst impacts other students who also lose motivation to put effort into their work. Not much student learning going on at all, as students are not retaining the "skills" they are supposed to acquire through the curriculum. Catalyst also has made it difficult for professors to teach courses in their majors and minors since they need to service the new curriculum. This has resulted in reduced course offerings and has stripped majors and minors to the bone. This, in turn, has contributed to a student retention issue for the college (since the majors and minors are so weak), which is a new problem.