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Undergraduate
enrollment reaches all-time high at SXU
Freshmen class also among most diverse
Chicago (Sept. 27, 2006) – Undergraduate enrollment for
the fall 2006 semester has reached an all-time high at Saint
Xavier University, the ninth consecutive year of growth.
With 3,339 undergraduate students, the University is 46
percent larger at the undergraduate level than it was nine
years ago, before it launched strategic enrollment
management initiatives.
In addition to having the highest undergraduate population
ever, Saint Xavier also has its highest resident population
ever, in keeping with its strategic goals.
“We’re growing, but we’re more than growing. We’re moving
toward our strategic vision of becoming a leading
comprehensive Catholic university,” said Kathleen Carlson,
vice president for research, planning and assessment.
This fall brought an all-time record number of freshmen
(538) and an all-time record number of undergraduates
(3,339) to Saint Xavier. Overall, student enrollment
increased about 13 percent this year. Undergraduate
enrollment at Saint Xavier has increased 18 percent in five
years (since 2001), and 46 percent since fall 1997.
The Class of 2010 consists of students from 18 states across
the country, including Washington, California, Arizona,
Texas, Georgia, Florida and Massachusetts. This freshman
class is also the strongest academically, with 14 percent of
students eligible for the rigorous freshman honors program
and the largest entering class of honors students (27
percent more than last year).
“We are particularly proud of the fact that we continue to
expand our racial and economic diversity as we advance the
academic profile of new students,” said Beth Gierach,
assistant provost for enrollment services.
Saint Xavier University was recently recognized as the 10th
most diverse campus in the greater Midwest in U.S. News
and World Report’s 2007 college rankings. The Class of
2010 is also the most racially and ethnically diverse, with
35 percent being African American or Hispanic.
This is the first year that the majority of new freshmen (53
percent) are living on campus. In October, the University
will dedicate its newest residence hall, Rubloff Hall, one
of the first university residence halls in Illinois seeking
certification as a “green building” according to federal
environmental standards.
The number of resident freshmen at Saint Xavier increased 51
percent in fall 2006, compared with fall 2005. Saint
Xavier’s resident population stands at 720 this year,
compared to 280 in fall 1997.
Because Illinois has long been a net exporter of college
freshmen, with more Illinoisans leaving the state to attend
college, Carlson said Saint Xavier began aggressively
recruiting students from out-of-state. This fact, coupled
with forecasts that the future population growth among
18-year-olds is leveling off except for in some key areas of
the United States, prompted Saint Xavier to focus its
attention on building its resident population and recruiting
students from wider geographic areas. The University’s
strategic plan calls for Saint Xavier to have a minimum of
1,000 resident students by 2009, and the University has been
steadily building toward that goal ever since.
“The quality of Saint Xavier University’s educational
experience is the real driving force behind these growing
numbers of students,” said Robert Tenczar, vice president of
university relations at Saint Xavier. “Students succeed at
Saint Xavier, and that word of mouth generates more interest
every year.”
Founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Xavier
University is a comprehensive Catholic university serving
more than 5,700 students at its campuses in Chicago and
Orland Park. The University offers 35 undergraduate majors
and more than 40 graduate program options in arts and
sciences, business, education and nursing with day, evening
and weekend courses to fit busy schedules.
Saint
Xavier University, a Catholic institution inspired by the
heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, educates men and women to
search for truth, to think critically, to communicate
effectively, and to serve wisely and compassionately in
support of human dignity and the common good.
3700 West 103rd Street, Chicago Ill. 60655 *
18230 Orland Parkway, Orland Park, Ill. 60467
online faculty expert guide:
www.sxu.edu/relations/faculty_experts.asp
www.sxu.edu |
