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The Etownian
www.etownian.com
Vol. 113. Issue 2
Thursday, september 15, 2016
College listed as National Liberal Arts College for first time
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by Kelly Bergh News Editor
S. News & World Report has included Elizabethtown College in its National Liberal Arts Colleges list, fulfilling a goal of the school’s current Strategic Plan. Etown stands at #115 in a four-way tie with Concordia College—Moorhead, Principia College and St. Anselm College. Etown was not classified as a National Liberal Arts College until this year because it has not yet met the requirement of awarding 50 percent or more of its degrees in the arts and sciences. The significant proportion of pre-professional, business and education degrees has exceeded the number of liberal arts until now.
Five years ago, the College was one degree away from being eligible for consideration. Today, the division of degrees granted by the College very slightly skews toward the liberal arts, affording the opportunity to be considered on the national level as a formal Liberal Arts college by the Report for the first time ever. “It was our deliberate strategy to get on the positive side of arts and sciences,” Fletcher McClellan, professor of political science, said. The 2012-2017 Strategic Plan review, currently being drafted by Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Elizabeth (Betty) Rider, marks the Sept. 13 report reclassifying the College as a success within the “University Offerings in a College Setting” section of the Plan.
Thirteen schools in Pennsylvania fall ahead of Etown on the list. “Being 14th among Pennsy lvani a col leges on t he National Liberal Arts list makes us more competitive for national foundation grants and more attractive to guidance counselors and prospective students,” President Carl Strikwerda said. “When prospective students search for liberal arts colleges, we will now be in the mix, and that’s exciting for me and for our college.” Five of Etown’s six peer colleges make the list, including Susquehanna, which ranks slightly behind at 132. Strikwerda is proud of the College’s efforts to ensure a comparison with schools with larger endowments. “[W]e are finally in very good and more fitting company,” he said. Etown’s inclusion on the list serves as a
Admissions, current students suggest reasons for decrease in enrollment
landmark in its current efforts to bolster its reputation amongst both prospective students and potential donors. It can now more easily be regarded as comparable to colleges such as Bryn Mawr, Vassar and frontrunner Williams. The elite company will be beneficial to the College as it begins to create its new Strategic Plan, which will determine the direction Etown will turn in its efforts to grow in both student body size and funding. The lists compiled by U.S. News & World Report adhere to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which, in the February of 2016, was considered the most highly regarded higher education classification system. SEE LIBERAL ARTS PAGE 4
Student opinions help provide foundation for new Strategic Plan by Emily Seiser Staff Writer
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n Thursday, Sept. 8, upperclassmen gathered in Hoover 212 to participate in the Resources and Strategic Planning Committee focus group. During this time, students were given the opportunity to share their views on the campus and provide ideas for improvement. According to Dr. Susan Mapp, head of the Resources and Strategic Planning Committee and chair of the social work department, the new Strategic Plan will be a three year plan that will replace the old 2012-2017 plan. An open invitation was sent out to all of the members of the sophomore, junior and senior classes, and 53 students registered for the event and participated. This was “a pretty robust turnout,” according to Dean of Students Marianne Calenda. Another session was held for first-year students on Monday, Sept. 12.
Photo: Taylor Miles| Photography Editor
While 504 first-year students were enrolled in the College at the beginning of Fall 2015, the size of the Class of 2020 was recorded at 453 students as of June 1. Currently the decline has not been attributed to one specific factor.
by Megan Kane Asst. News Editor
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s of June 1, 453 first-year students had enrolled in Elizabethtown College. At the beginning of last year, 504 first-years attended Etown. Though these numbers are not set in stone, Director of Admissions Lauren Deibler acknowledges that there was a decrease in enrollment between last year and this year. Deibler explained that enrollment size is fluid. The number of first-years has most likely changed between June 1 and mid-September, as students continue to enroll and drop from the College. “In the Admissions Office, we have a date every year when we take a snapshot of the size of the class,” Deibler said. “But if you asked another office on campus, you may get a different number.” The number of students in this year’s first-year class is from Admissions data. Registration and Records provided the size of the Class of 2019.
“Demographically, we know that the number of high school students in the U.S. is getting smaller every year.”
-Lauren Deibler
The decrease in enrollment was not caused by a single factor. “There are a couple things that we’re seeing for all colleges,” Deibler said. “Demographically, we know that the number of high school students in the U.S. is getting smaller every year.” According to data released by the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of high school graduates is projected to be two percent lower in 2022– 23 than in 2009–10. Etown is a small school competing with a number of similar colleges with similar programs.
“There is also an increased focus on outcomes—what you get when you go to college,” Deibler said. “That’s an increasing question that families are asking.” One of the challenges of recruitment, according to Deibler, is making the College stand out in front of its competitors. “When you become a high school senior, you get a flood of information,” she said. “It’s hard to pick out what’s important.” She explained that it was the job of Admissions to help with this. Deibler also notes that some factors are simply out of the College’s control, including location, population size and advertising done by other colleges. “I think it’s really a mixture of things that we’re able to control for and a mixture that we can’t control but try to influence,” Deibler said. Current students believe that other factors also influenced the decline in enrollment. Junior Karissa Swartz transferred to Etown this year. A former student at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), she believes that many people are beginning to recognize the benefits of attending a community college. “More and more people are realizing that you don’t need an expensive degree to succeed in your field,” Swartz said. “Many of my friends went to HACC and got their associate’s degrees. Now they have jobs in their field.” Since she was unsure of her major, enrolling at a community college allowed Swartz to explore her options without placing her in debt. This sentiment is shared by many students across the country. College Board Research found that in the fall of 2014, 42 percent of all undergraduate students were enrolled in a community college. Sophomore Liz Mazer believes that the emphasis placed on multicultural inclusion can influence a prospective student’s decision. Mazer is a Jaywalker, a student assistant for Admissions and a member of Amp, a diversity group on campus. From her perspective, Etown has made great strides in diversity awareness. SEE ADMISSIONS PAGE 4
“Students are the ones who know best what students think.”
-Susan Mapp
The two separate meetings will allow the Resources and Strategic Planning Committee, a group of faculty members dedicated to improving Elizabethtown College, to hear the views of both the students who had experience at the College and students who are experiencing Etown for the first time. “Students are the ones who know best what students think,” Mapp said in explanation of the committee’s desire to heavily consider the opinions of students attending Etown in creating a plan to attract prospective students of the highest caliber. During the meeting, a facilitating group called E4 was present to encourage the students to openly share their opinions without feeling pressure from the presence of professors and administators to whom they might have felt some sense of obligation. Dean Calenda felt it was important to have E4 come in so that the students did not feel like their ideas were submitted to judgement or one idea was perceived as better than the others. During the meeting, clickers were utilized to begin the conversations. In this way, students who were not as comfortable with sharing their opinions aloud would still be able to make their voices heard. This meeting allowed the students to take a more active role in their position as important stakeholders of the College while allowing their thoughts to remain anonymous. Other stakeholders of Etown have been and will be consulted as well, such as the faculty, staff and alumni. Along with holding focus groups, a survey is being developed to gather more information. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) has been chosen to help with enrollment management. AACRAO will speak with Administration, Student Life and Student Senate to help Etown improve its enrollment rates and provide input on the enrollment strategies being used. This will be the foundation of the work of the Resources and Strategic Planning Committee. SEE PLAN PAGE 3