|
Home
Enrollment Growth Part of Larger Trend
CHICAGO, IL (March 29, 2006) - The last several years have seen dramatic
growth at evangelical liberal arts institutions, according to national
reports, and North Park University is no exception.
Twenty years ago, most evangelical schools were struggling to survive,
but record enrollments in 2005 are part of a dramatic turnaround,
administrators say. Last year, applications jumped between 8 percent and
10 percent at the 238 colleges that belong to the North American
Association of Christian Admissions Professionals, says Executive
Director Chant Thompson.
Undergraduate enrollment at North Park University has grown 110 percent
since 1989, including a 47 percent surge in the last 10 years, says Mark
Olson, dean of enrollment and director of church relations. This year,
the school had an enrollment of around 1,600 compared with 1,000
students 12 years ago. The number of undergraduates enrolling at the
school grew by roughly 100 last year.
In addition to academics, students reflect a stronger desire to grow
spiritually, Olson notes. Helena Swanson-Nystrom, who attends North Park
Covenant Church, has applied to North Park as well as Northwestern
University and the University of Chicago. She recently told the Religion
News Service that she will consider a school's spiritual environment in
making her decision. "It becomes harder to be a practicing Christian if
there is no Christian community," she explained.
"The characteristics of a Covenant education resonate with students who
want an education rooted in the Christian tradition and engaged in the
world," Olson says. "We notice that the unique opportunities North Park
affords to put Christian faith into action through ministries of
compassion, mercy and justice, are very attractive to students today."
The increased number of applications has led to more competition to get
into the schools, which also has been the case at North Park. "Happily,
last year saw a significant growth in the number of new students and in
the quality of those students," Olson says.
Olson adds the competition has not decreased the school's commitment to
reach students who have not had the same academic advantages as others.
"We want to continue to improve the profile of the student body while
giving select students who have not had strong high school preparation,
but who demonstrate promise, an opportunity to succeed at the college
level."
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
|
|
|
