Steve Burwick
Reporter
October 6, 2004
At Milligan College people often talk about growth, growing in wisdom, knowledge, confidence and faith. The college is also growing in numbers, according to enrollment statistics for this fall.
The total of 916 students is the second highest in Milligan’s history, an 8.9 percent increase over last year and falling just short of the record of 927 in 1998.
The freshman class is up 5.5 percent from last year, the second straight year of increase. Traditional undergraduate enrollment grew 2.8 percent, the Adult Degree Completion Program increased 2 percent and the Master of Education is up 16.7 percent. The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy grew 12.8 percent, while the new Master of Business Administration has exceeded projections with 37 students seeking degrees.
Overall retention, percentage of students who returned this fall, is a college record of 90.6 percent. Students living on campus (including dorm rooms and apartments) total 639, compared to 555 in the 2003 fall.
“Our enrollment growth at Milligan is due to several factors,” said David Mee, vice president for enrollment management. “First, we have placed an emphasis on retention and student success programming. Also, our graduate programs continue to grow, including the new MBA program. Certainly, a student body that is growing means that more students are benefiting from the unique education that Milligan offers, and we are all enriched by having more students contribute to various facets of student life.”
Milligan’s figures reflect a trend in private colleges across the state, according to Dr. Claude Pressnell, Jr., president of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA).
“Enrollment has been on the rise for Tennessee’s non-profit independent colleges and universities for the past ten years,” Pressnell wrote in an article on the TICUA Web
site on Oct. 2. “In 1991 the private college enrollment in Tennessee was 45,233; by 2001 the enrollment had climbed to 53, 871.”
Pressnell pointed out that Tennessee’s private colleges represent 22 percent of the state’s enrollment, yet they confer over 30 percent of the state’s degrees. He added that the 35 private colleges and universities are preparing for continued growth.
“According to a recent survey, TICUA member colleges are currently involved in the planning or construction of over $500 million in capital projects,” he wrote. “These campus improvements range from science labs, civic arenas, to student housing. Many of the private colleges currently have the capacity to increase their student enrollments, and most of the campuses’ strategic plans call for additional students over the next 10 years.”
As for Milligan College, continuing growth is a major commitment. The school’s Campaign for Christian Leadership spans the years 2001 to 2006, with a goal to raise $30 million, according to a brochure released by the Office of Institutional Advancement. This includes: $11 million invested in academic programs and scholarship needs; $11 million invested in infrastructure and capital improvements; $5 million invested in new programs and special initiatives; and $3 million added to the endowment to support scholarships and academic funds.
Recent evidence of the commitment to growth and improvement include the major renovation of Derthick Hall, the Mary Sword Commons and the new tennis courts that are currently under construction.
A major component of the Campaign for Christian Leadership goals is the beginning of construction on the new Campus Center toward the end of the five-year campaign. The building, to be located at the site of the current tennis courts, will include a Student Center and a 300-seat theatre, complete with costume and dressing rooms, workshop, storage and rehearsal areas.
The Campus Center will also house the bookstore, a wellness center, a dining area and kitchen for the Grill, photography darkrooms and a prayer chapel.
“A new campus center will add greatly to life on campus,” said Mee. “Expanded space for student activities ranging from small group meetings to theatrical productions will expand what we are able to offer students, faculty, staff and community members.”
Funds are being generated for the campaign in a variety of ways.
“Our primary constituents would be alumni, of course, the campus community and churches,” said Todd Norris, Milligan’s vice president for institutional advancement. “We do have businesses, foundations, corporations, community organizations, civic clubs, and then a host of friends—people we call friends—individuals who don’t have any logical connection to the institution, other than that they share a commitment to our vision.”
Some objectives of the campaign, according to Norris, are “transforming the look of the campus, building partnerships with key constituents, building a foundation for the future through estate planning activities and helping the college fulfill its vision.”