Increased Momentum Bruce Fawcett, PhD
President and Vice Chancellor Last year I wrote in an update to our financial supporters that, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crandall University had significant momentum, and God was blessing our students, employees, and the University as a whole. This academic year that momentum not only continues, but it has increased! Let me share some illustrations with you:
Record Enrollment When I arrived as President nearly a decade ago, the Board of Governors told me that their dream was that one day, Crandall University would serve 1,000 students. Last year enrollment continued to climb, and we achieved a record enrollment of 924 students. This fall we have 960 students, and we expect that before the end of the year we will have a student body of more than 1,000! Our growth has been across most program areas at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and includes students from 28 countries. Reaching 1,000 students is an exciting milestone, but this number is not merely an achievement; it signifies that more students are being served and greater impact is being made.
New Programs This Fall the University welcomed its first cohort of 18 students into our new Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology. In January we will welcome our first cohort of 25 students into our new Saturday-only Bachelor of Education program. In January we will also be launching our first completely online degree program, the Master of Management degree – a program students can enter whenever a new two-month course begins.
New Faculty More students and more programs require more professors. This past summer we welcomed six new faculty members with completed or nearly completed PhDs from the Universities of Alabama, Durham, New Brunswick, St. Andrew’s, Queensland, and Regina. They come to us from the US, Brazil, Scotland, China, Canada,
Dr. Bruce Fawcett (’88) has served as President and Vice-Chancellor since 2012. He is married to Penny (’94) and they are the proud parents of two Crandall graduates.
and Australia, and all have significant ministry and professional backgrounds, and we are delighted to have them join our team!
New Staff The fall we also welcomed some of our recent graduates to entry-level roles along with seasoned staff to more senior roles, especially in the area of Student Life and Transformation. We’ve revamped our student volunteer program, now called CU Serves, and improved our ability to welcome and host our growing number of international students.
Chapel Growth In spite of COVID limitations, this year we have more people attending chapel than at any time during my years as President. We are led by our new Dean of the Chapel, Dr. Steve Watts, along with student, faculty, and staff volunteers.
Athletic Success We are thrilled that our cross-country team won the ACAA conference championship and represented Atlantic Canada at the national championships in Calgary. Our boxing team has traveled to a variety of tournaments regionally and also went to compete again against the US Military Academy at West Point in New York. Soccer season has passed with improved play by our teams and our basketball teams and women’s volleyball team have begun their seasons with great energy and success on the court. Staying unified as a community and serving students during a pandemic era is not always easy, but I am delighted with the positive attitude of our students and employees and I am grateful that we not only have momentum during this time, but increased momentum! Thank you for your interest and support that contributes to making this momentum a reality.
