Staff report
Local colleges expect to see a lot of new faces on campus this fall.
Catawba College will welcome its largest class of first-time freshmen since 1991, school officials said in a press release. With 311 first-year students coming to campus, the college’s total enrollment in the traditional day program will be 967.
In the School of Evening and Graduate Studies, 301 students are currently enrolled.
At Livingstone College, enrollment has grown consistently for the past three years, school officials said. In fall 2008, Livingstone had 1,003 students, and the college expects this year’s numbers to equal or surpass that number. Some students are already on the Livingstone campus, where classes start next week.
And Pfeiffer University, which opens its doors today to incoming and returning students, anticipates nearly 300 new students and approximately 650 returning students, the college in Misenheimer said.
At Catawba, 727 day students will live on campus, pushing capacity available in the college’s 13 residence halls. Heath Hill, a non-traditional student residence, opened over the summer to help meet demand and will provide beds for 10 upper-class students.
While some athletes and resident assistants have already returned to campus, first-year students are slated to arrive Saturday and begin five days of orientation. Upper-class students return to campus Tuesday, with classes for the new academic year scheduled to begin Thursday.
At Catawba’s fall conference, Dr. Craig Turner, the school’s president, repeated his goal to increase and stabilize enrollment at 1,150 to 1,250.
Other goals he emphasized were: to complete a comprehensive review of all academic programs, curricula and course offerings; to complete a comprehensive review of all non-academic programs, processes and procedures; to examine and reorganize where necessary academic and non-academic structures; to focus on balanced annual budgets with small surpluses by stressing cost-cutting and cost-saving while gradually increasing tuition revenue; to increase marketing budget and expand marketing efforts; and to eliminate all deferred maintenance.
“We have made our first painful, struggling steps toward a brighter, higher, more successful future by projecting a balanced budget and exceeding our enrollment goals,” Turner said at the conference. “More successes will follow if we choose to climb more steps.”
A complete transcript of Turner’s remarks is available online at www.catawba.edu.
At Pfeiffer, 25 new faculty and staff will join new students on campus and they’ll be welcomed with a week’s worth of festivities, some sponsored by Stanly County businesses.
“This is consistently an electrifying time for our students and their families, as well as the local community,” said Dr. Tim Coley, vice president for student development. “Pfeiffer students, especially freshmen, will be making many life adjustments in the immediate future. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated student leaders, staff and faculty ó and local businesses ó to help them on their journey during this transition.”
Also at Pfeiffer this year, a newly enhanced Freshman Year Experience program, including a semester-long course entitled the “The Pfeiffer Journey,” will offer incoming students an opportunity to consider their values, as well as guidance to help identify their place in the world.
For the first time, Pfeiffer will offer a nursing program beginning this fall. The new Department of Nursing in the School of Natural and Health Sciences will offer an undergraduate program leading to the bachelor of science degree in nursing.
Also new this fall is an enhanced and secure wireless networking service throughout the university’s three main campuses, made possible by a recent $160,000 gift from the Charles A. Cannon Charitable Trust.