Ronald Reagan, President of the United States from 1981-1989,  On the benefits of attending a small school:

“At big universities, relatively few students get involved in extracurricular activities: They go to class, go to their living quarters, go to the library, and then back to their classes. There may be a lot to be said for those large institutions, but I think too many young people overlook the value of a small college and the tremendous influence that participation in student activities can have during the years from adolescence to adulthood.

If I had gone to one of those larger schools, I think I would have fallen back in the crowd and never discovered things about myself that I did at Eureka (College). My life would have been different.

There were fewer than 250 students when I was at Eureka… and everyone knew one another by their first name.

As in a small town, you couldn’t remain anonymous at a small college. Everybody was needed. Whether it’s the glee club or helping to edit the school yearbook, there’s a job for everyone, and everybody gets a chance to shine at something and build their sense of self-confidence. You get to discover things about yourself that you might never learn if you were lost in the crowd of a larger school.”

The same advantages that made Eureka College so special to President Reagan are to be found at Linden Hall, where we are small by design.