2008 Woodie Awards
College welcomes record number of new Gaels
New student enrollment third largest in College's history
Mark Freeman
Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: News
High school seniors face the monumental task of picking the "right" college. The Admissions Department has an equally daunting challenge-convincing them that Saint Mary's is what they seek.
In a memo to the community last week, Vice Provost of Enrollment Michael Beseda highlighted undergraduate enrollment figures for fall 2006. This year admissions beat expectations, as the college welcomed 783 new students-the third largest in Saint Mary's history-including 610 freshmen. Beseda said that the large number of students is due to the fact that "the number of students coming out of high school are near an all time high" but also to the school's successful recruitment campaigns, which "cover all the Western states and beyond."
The number of new students is a testament to the variety of programs that Saint Mary's has to entice prospective students. The best approach to enroll students involves "anytime a prospective student has a chance to come on campus," said Beseda. He believes that visiting the campus can bring about "a positive experience" and that "getting to meet a current student" and "interacting with a faculty member" often influence a student's decision to come to Saint Mary's.
Dean of Admissions Dorothy Jones explained that on-campus events like Overnight Stays and this past Sunday's Fall Preview Day are "really effective," and part of the school's "multi-pronged approach to enrolling students."
This aggressive strategy puts Saint Mary's on the map for many prospective students, who might not otherwise consider a small liberal arts campus in Moraga. Jones explains that the school sets goals for enrollment a year prior and bases its numbers on "budgetary need." Beseda noted that rising tuition costs are more related to competitive salaries and benefits for professors than housing more students on campus.
Beseda explained that applications are divided in two ways-regular and priority, the latter receiving an electronic application around mid-January that expedites the process. The memo notes that there was "concern and surprise" over the fact that the number of regular acceptances had dropped to 21.8 percent, and the overall number of acceptances dropped to 17.4 percent. Jones said the latter figure is noteworthy because the school had been "very consistent" in its enrollment figures and to "see a slight decline gives us some concern." She adds that the school cannot be certain if the lower enrollment figures are simply "a blip" or the beginning of a new trend. "We won't know until we get more data," Jones said.
In a memo to the community last week, Vice Provost of Enrollment Michael Beseda highlighted undergraduate enrollment figures for fall 2006. This year admissions beat expectations, as the college welcomed 783 new students-the third largest in Saint Mary's history-including 610 freshmen. Beseda said that the large number of students is due to the fact that "the number of students coming out of high school are near an all time high" but also to the school's successful recruitment campaigns, which "cover all the Western states and beyond."
The number of new students is a testament to the variety of programs that Saint Mary's has to entice prospective students. The best approach to enroll students involves "anytime a prospective student has a chance to come on campus," said Beseda. He believes that visiting the campus can bring about "a positive experience" and that "getting to meet a current student" and "interacting with a faculty member" often influence a student's decision to come to Saint Mary's.
Dean of Admissions Dorothy Jones explained that on-campus events like Overnight Stays and this past Sunday's Fall Preview Day are "really effective," and part of the school's "multi-pronged approach to enrolling students."
This aggressive strategy puts Saint Mary's on the map for many prospective students, who might not otherwise consider a small liberal arts campus in Moraga. Jones explains that the school sets goals for enrollment a year prior and bases its numbers on "budgetary need." Beseda noted that rising tuition costs are more related to competitive salaries and benefits for professors than housing more students on campus.
Beseda explained that applications are divided in two ways-regular and priority, the latter receiving an electronic application around mid-January that expedites the process. The memo notes that there was "concern and surprise" over the fact that the number of regular acceptances had dropped to 21.8 percent, and the overall number of acceptances dropped to 17.4 percent. Jones said the latter figure is noteworthy because the school had been "very consistent" in its enrollment figures and to "see a slight decline gives us some concern." She adds that the school cannot be certain if the lower enrollment figures are simply "a blip" or the beginning of a new trend. "We won't know until we get more data," Jones said.