Inside NEWSLETTER OF SCHREINER UNIVERSITY
Fall 2009 Volume XI11, Number II
President’s Perspective By Dr. Tim Summerlin
Inevitably, summer is too short (even with the 100-degree days we have enjoyed this year). Set aside for a moment summer school, the camps and other groups we host, and the essential down time enabling maintenance and facility upgrades to be completed. It is too short a time to sift through the previous year’s data essential to assessing our academic programs, finances, recruiting and other tasks and then to incorporate what we learn to improve in the coming year. It is too short to stretch our collective minds beyond the present and ask questions about the next five and 10 years. Yet we get these things accomplished. You may rightly say that such efforts are not our main mission, but they are essential to understanding that mission and sharpening our ability to accomplish it. The famous analyst of American corporations Peter Drucker is quoted as saying that any enterprise can distill its self-assessment into two questions: “What business are we in?” and “How’s business?” Those questions capture well the reflective work occupying much of the summer on campus. Although higher education comprises only one modest stream in the flood of debate that has occurred during the last year since economic meltdown triggered a string of bailouts, bankruptcies and economic stimulus actions, we have had plenty of reason to ask ourselves fundamental questions. Never in my experience have we witnessed a recession with such a sweeping impact on the whole
Schreiner Sees Enrollment Increase Fourth Year in a Row Schreiner University recently announced that it has a record enrollment for the fourth year in a row. SU has a total student body of 1,084, which is a seven percent increase from last year. This year sees an incoming freshman class of 289, up from last fall’s 266. “The record freshman class and record enrollment growth of this size are noteworthy any time; in the current economic climate, they are astonishing,” Dr. Tim Summerlin, Schreiner’s president, said. “As Schreiner University becomes more widely known, prospects who visit our campus continue to be impressed by the exceptionally open and supportive culture they encounter,” Summerlin said. “Second, the dynamism of our academic programs is being more widely recognized. These factors will not diminish, only grow, so we are enthusiastic about the future as well as the present.” “I salute the admission and financial aid team whose efforts are at the heart of this accomplishment.” The record enrollment is another
step in reaching the University’s longterm goal of a student body of 1,200. That growth is evidenced in other areas besides enrollment, in part, by the recent opening of Faulkner Hall, a freshman residence hall, and the Mountaineer Fitness Center. Peg Layton, vice president for enrollment and student services and dean of students at Schreiner, also praised the University’s team effort. “On the front lines of the recruitment effort were our admission and financial aid staff who have worked with families for months, sometimes years, to make it possible for their students to be here,” said Layton. “Our coaching staff and our orientation team also played key roles. But at a small private college like Schreiner, significant enrollment growth is possible only when the entire campus community is involved in recruitment and retention, including our faculty, who are not only educators but also mentors for our students.” Schreiner’s increasing enrollment is also good news for the community at large. It is estimated that the University’s economic impact on the Kerrville area is more than $72 million.
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In This Issue... DA & AHH Nominations Calendar of Events Sports
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Family picnic
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April 16-18, 2010
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3rd Annual Recall Parade Casino night Military Tribute breakfast Go online now for more information at www.schreiner.edu/formerstudents.