This annual giving section recognizes - The College of St. Scholastica

ERIC BERG
Vice President for Enrollment Management
The fall of 2008 was a record-breaking year for the division of
Enrollment Management. The Office of Admissions enrolled a
freshman class of 571, which is 77 more students than any other
incoming freshman class in the College’s history.
The College welcomed its first-ever class of football recruits, which
contributed to our unprecedented increase in class size. However, the
increase was also a factor of strong applications and enrollment for
non-athletes.
From fall 2007 to fall 2008, first-year applications increased 30 percent
(1,461 vs. 1,899), and first-year enrollment increased 17 percent (488
vs. 571). Transfer applications were down 7.1 percent (411 vs. 382),
and transfer enrollment decreased 15.4 percent (156 vs. 132).
Most impressively, over the past 10 years first-year applications have
increased 130 percent (826 vs. 1,899), and entering class enrollment has
increased 85.3 percent (308 vs. 571).
Our overall full-time undergraduate population has risen from 1,150 in
1998 to 2,110 students in fall 2008, an 83.5 percent increase.
Throughout this period of growth, the College has been able to maintain
its historically high academic profile.
In a continuation of the trend noted over the past three years, the Twin
Cities remains the region from which the highest percentage of our
incoming class comes – 28 percent in 2008.
Although we are still enrolling our share of overall graduates from the
region’s high schools, the number of graduates from the Duluth region
is slowly declining. As of last year 19 percent of our incoming freshman
class was from our local territory.
Finally, our draw of diversity to the Duluth campus is ever-increasing.
Domestic students of color and international students now represent
11.7 percent of the total undergraduate population, an all-time high.
Students from 63 countries call St. Scholastica home, also a record.
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BETH DOMHOLDT
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Academic Affairs goals for the 2008-2009 year included
collaborating across the College, mentoring new faculty,
internationalizing our offerings, enhancing external relations,
and expanding key graduate and extended programs.
Collaboration activities included reorganizing Extended Studies, using
a “one college” framework to forge stronger connections to academic
departments; reorganizing the Center for Healthcare Innovation with
stronger connections to the Schools of Health Sciences and Nursing;
and establishing an academic/student affairs partnership to serve firstgeneration
undergraduate students.
We mentored faculty in several new ways, including the development
of an extended orientation related to mission for new faculty members.
In addition, faculty development programs were offered on rubrics,
critical thinking, and working with millennial students.
New study-abroad opportunities were created for graduate and
nontraditional students. The trips included two to China for
undergraduate and graduate business students, one to Belize for postbaccalaureate
nursing students, and one to Mexico for extended study
social work students.
External relations activities included a School of Education partnership
with University of Minnesota Duluth and the Duluth Public Schools, a
School of Nursing leadership role in a state-wide forum on the Doctor
of Nursing Practice degree, and the participation of several academic
leaders at a Twin Cities event to raise awareness of our plans to expand
the Science Center.
We launched an initiative to build enrollment in four existing online
programs: RN to BS, graduate and undergraduate health information
management programs, and the transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy
program. We invested substantial resources in building the technology
and staff infrastructure to expand the scale of the programs. Fall 2009
enrollment for three of the four programs exceeded total enrollment
goals. Other new academic programs included a Master of Business
Administration (MBA) program, a master’s degree in athletic training,
and undergraduate majors in Spanish, journalism, art and finance.