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By Danielle M. Williamson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
dawilliamson@telegram.com
Application season last year wasn't a comfortable time for
many of the area's private colleges and universities. In the
winter, admissions officers were bombarded with depressing
news about the economy. Concerned that the recession would
lead fewer students to enroll this fall, the College of the
Holy Cross relied more heavily on its early decision list,
where acceptance binds a student to attend. Others simply
braced themselves, preparing for a smaller incoming freshman
class…
When the dust had settled, however, the colleges found their
fears were largely unfounded. Keeping with a national trend,
the anticipated fall enrollment for private institutions in
Central Massachusetts is holding steady, despite
expectations there would be a drop-off in enrollment.
Anna Maria College and WPI are preparing to welcome their
largest classes ever.
The National Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities recently released its findings from an
enrollment survey of 300 private colleges and universities.
The survey found undergraduate enrollment for fall 2009 is
projected to increase slightly — by an average of 0.2
percent — over fall 2008. Increased funding for federal
student aid programs was widely credited for helping to
maintain student educational choice, while more generous
institutional student aid policies, lower-than-usual tuition
increases, salary and hiring freezes and more flexible
admissions practices were commonly cited campus responses to
the economic downturn…
Anna Maria College and WPI are on the other side of the
spectrum, with an 83 percent and 10 percent increase in
applications, respectively. Anna Maria President Jack
Calareso attributes the drastic jump — from 1,016 to 1,862
applications and 243 to 473 enrollments — to a two-year
strategic plan to expand the college. WPI's vice president
for enrollment management, Kristin R. Tichenor, said the
growth was spurred by high-profile additions to its academic
program, including the first undergraduate program in
robotics engineering, a groundbreaking program in computer
gaming, and a state-of-the-art research facility in life
sciences and bioengineering. WPI will enroll 940 freshmen
this fall.
“Fundamentally, we've been planning for this growth for two
years,” Mr. Calareso said. “We didn't know what was going to
happen with the economy. We've rebranded the college,
focused on marketing, built an alumni network and redesigned
our Web site. Those pieces had already been planned and in
my view, they protected us from what's happening at other
schools.”
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