|
 Total full time fall enrollment on the Lincoln Campus
is 710 for the 2017-18 school year. That includes 629 residential
students, more than at any time in the school’s history. The number
of students returning to campus, 354, is also the largest returning
class in the college’s history, President David Gerlach announced.
Full time enrollment for 2017-18 has increased by 4.87 percent on
the Lincoln campus.
“For the first time ever, we have almost as many returning students
as new students. As we increase the number of baccalaureate
programs, more students are staying. Students and their families are
discovering what we already knew – Lincoln College offers one of the
best values in education today,” Gerlach said. “But, equally
important, students who come to Lincoln College are finding a
welcoming and supportive living and learning environment that makes
them want to stay for a full four years.”
There are also 325 students enrolled in Lincoln’s Accelerated Bridge
to Education (ABE) program in Normal, Peoria and Oglesby.
Seventy-four high school students from the region are enrolled in
dual-credit courses. Total students, including those in dual-credit
courses and part-time students, brings the total headcount at all
campuses to 1,123, an increase of 5.35percent.
In 2015, the Lincoln College Board of Trustees authorized Gerlach to
develop a full range of bachelor’s degree programs to transition the
College to a more comprehensive four-year degree-granting
institution, while continuing to offer two-year associate degree
programs at the Lincoln campus.
“Institutions that offer both two-year and four–year degree options
on the same campus have a proven record of success in keeping
students in school – one of the biggest challenges facing higher
education today,” Gerlach said. “In looking at the future of the
College and its place in the community, it became clear that greatly
expanding our bachelor’s degree programs was necessary for the
growth and future of Lincoln College.”
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The increase in returning students, Gerlach said, is evidence the
decision was the right one. In fact, nearly 60 percent of incoming freshmen on
the Lincoln campus have already declared an intent to enroll in a bachelor’s
degree program. The Lincoln campus now offers bachelor’s degree programs in:
• Business Management;
• Community and Human Services;
• Conservation Biology;
• Criminal Justice Studies;
• Exercise Science;
• Jazz Studies;
• Radio, Television and New Media;
• Sport Management;
• Theater; and
• Vocal Performance.
The College plans to add additional degree options in 2018-19 as well.
To accommodate the influx of residential students, the College added a new Lynx
Village apartment suite option this year for upperclassmen. The project
converted blighted property adjacent to the College into completely renovated
apartments. Additional local housing options are planned for the next school
year.
In growing its enrollment, Lincoln College is bucking state and national trends,
which have seen declines in college enrollments. College enrollments in Illinois
dropped 2.9 percent during the first half of 2017 and national figures from the
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center for 2016 show a 1.4 percent
decrease in college enrollment nationally.
The new four-year format has also opened the door to new opportunities in
athletics, as Lincoln College transitions from the National Junior College
Athletic Association (NJCAA) to the four-year National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The transition will allow Lincoln College
student athletes to compete for a full four years.
“Currently, Lincoln College has an annual $41 million impact on the local
economy. As Lincoln College grows it will mean new options for area students,
new opportunities for local businesses and new investment in the community,”
Gerlach added.
[Mark Gordon
Public Relations and Media Manager
Lincoln College] |
