Musings in the snow
By William Carroll

As winter began its hoary work of transforming the campus landscape, a bi-weekly report on Benedictine University enrollment caught my eye. The report quietly announced that the University now has 3,015 students enrolled in its programs (approximately 2,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduates). Surpassing the 3,000-student mark is not only the highest enrollment ever; it marks a milestone in the institution's development.

Several years ago, a carefully constructed enrollment strategy was developed that would move the University from a little known suburban institution to one that was known throughout the Chicago area. To this end,

• The Great Issues - Great Ideas series was upgraded to provide the area with the highest quality speakers possible.
• New accelerated adult programs were developed to expand enrollment options for students.
• Benedictine 2000 was undertaken to build a new science building and a new library/learning center.
• A full time recruiter was hired to work the St. Louis market.
• Significant international programs were developed that are doubling their enrollment yearly.
• New undergraduate and graduate programs were added.
• Six new apartment buildings (272 beds) and a new commons building were built to augment the traditional residence halls.
• In the last year, 14 extension sites throughout northern Illinois were added.

While the move to be an educational resource throughout the Chicago area has been successful, this is the first step toward regional and national prominence. The enrollment ups and downs of the last decade have demonstrated that an institution must vary its market. In 1995, Benedictine had two sources of students: traditional undergraduates and graduate students. I have always espoused an enrollment philosophy that I compare to the legs of a table. Like a table, for an institution to be stable it must have more than one support system. Two legs (as we had in 1995) can wobble. If both sources of students are down, the institution suffers. In the current model, the University has four legs (traditional undergraduate, graduate, adult and international). History had shown that when one of these sources is not producing students, the other sources can pick up the slack.

In addition, St. Procopius and Illinois Benedictine College garnered students from an approximate 52-mile radius. Again, to allow the institution to be dependent on a single economic region could be dangerous and not well advised. Hence, a strategy was developed to move the University to regional and national recognition. How does an institution like Benedictine go national? Build a Division I football team? Run expensive ads in national magazines and newspapers? These strategies may be attractive to some, but I am not sure that they are in the best interest of this University. Our challenge: to differentiate ourselves from the national competition. How do we do this? Our history and Benedictine tradition have provided a golden thread throughout the world that we can use to our advantage. Let me explain.

When we look at our history, we were founded to be a Catholic and a Benedictine institution. To this day, Catholic/Benedictine continues to be our reason for being. (In fact, the number one goal of the new strategic plan is to sharpen our Catholic and Benedictine identity. Faculty, staff, students and trustees have met throughout the last year to engage in 'the Catholic/Benedictine' dialogue.) Benedictine high schools are located throughout the United States. These students and their families already have an affinity toward a Benedictine education. Why not continue it at Benedictine University?

In addition, the University from the time of St. Procopius College, has developed a profound science program grounded in the liberal arts. The Benedictine acceptance rate to medical school stands among the highest in the country. If students want to be physicians or scientists, there is no better place for them to be than Benedictine University.

Given our Catholic/Benedictine identity and our history of success in producing science graduates, we have embarked on a national campaign of recruiting Benedictine high school graduates to come to Benedictine University for college, especially those students who seek to pursue a career in the sciences.

What differentiates Benedictine University from the competition? The answer is simple: our Catholic/Benedictine tradition and heritage and our success in graduating students in the sciences. No other college/university in the country can claim this brand.

To bolster our position as the premier choice among Benedictine high school graduates, the University will be hosting the first national Benedictine high school conference in 2001. Benedictine high schools have been invited to send an academic team, a basketball team and their musicians for academic, athletic and musical competition and interaction. Our goal is to make this conference a regular event. The conference introduces these prospective students to our campus and begins to establish in their minds that if they want the best education possible and in the Benedictine tradition, Benedictine University is the institution for them.

So as we look out upon 20-plus inches of snow and the eerie landscape created by the cold and snow, we are confident that in the Creator's design, the whisper of spring can be heard even on the stormiest of days. The University is much like a plant that even in winter prepares itself to bloom again, and again, and again - may you and your family be blessed in 2001.