Barry W. Fick,
Executive Director
Read the full article from the Star Tribune: How one of Minnesota’s best-performing colleges confronts declining enrollment
Excerpt:
“The school of 2,200 students in the southern Minnesota town of St. Peter is ranked by the Wall Street Journal as the best college in Minnesota at delivering value for its cost. It’s tied with Macalester College in St. Paul as having the most economically diverse student body in the state in a study by the New York Times.
Despite such laudable marks, first-year student enrollment declined in 2020, 2021 and 2022 before moving back upward this fall.”
“Last month, faculty members approved a new curriculum to fix a problem that crept up on them and to make a clearer case for the value of a Gustavus education.”
“The curriculum change happened quickly — six months after the first meeting of the task force — though not easily, Knutson said. “Nobody likes letting go of things. It’s much easier to just add,” she said.
Some changes at Gustavus are easier. One is a rebranding of financial aid.
About 10% of Gustavus’ students would qualify for free tuition at state-run schools under the program, called the North Star Promise, approved by legislators this spring. Gustavus added up its aid to that group and found it easily matched the free tuition promise while getting more students to finish their degrees on time. With the state aid getting such attention, Gustavus put a name, the “Gustie Guarantee”, on its program.”
-Star Tribune, November 22, 2023
Read the full article from the Star Tribune: How one of Minnesota’s best-performing colleges confronts declining enrollment
