Schools foresee lowest enrollment in decades

Nationwide trends are reflecting a decrease in college enrollment, and CSB/SJU is no exception. Next semester, CSB/SJU’s predicted enrollment teeters just above 3,000 students.

The last time enrollment fell below 3,000 students was almost five decades ago in 1973. According to CSB/SJU Vice President for Enrollment Nate Dehne, Minnesota Private College Council data indicates that enrollment from a decade ago has decreased in undergraduate students by 9% and transfers by 30%. Even so, Dehne believes that liberal arts colleges still offer value in the plethora of career avenues post-college.

“I think there’s a notion that liberal arts isn’t sellable anymore, and that’s not necessarily true…You can major in traditional liberal arts programs and do just about anything with those programs. I’m a product of that, so the belief there for me is really strong,” Dehne said.

Though the downward trend is seen in CSB/SJU as a whole, CSB and SJU, as separate institutions, have contradictory data. Since 2018, CSB enrollment rate has decreased 11%, while SJU enrollment rate has increased 3%. Dehne notes that one possible reason for this difference is more women are being attracted to flagship institutions, rather than smaller colleges such as CSB.

Due to these changes, admissions, enrollment and marketing representatives have made some adjustments to attract more students to CSB. Creating a sense of belonging through activities outside of the classroom, such as the introduction of a CSB varsity lacrosse team, is one way Dehne hopes to increase CSB enrollment. Additionally, CSB’s Institutional Advancement team is focused on raising funds through the Empower Campaign, which financially supports women in STEM, leadership, mentorship programs and in lower income families.

Not only do these strategies extend to potential CSB students but also to those struggling with the accessibility to attend CSB/SJU in the first place.

Refining financial aid strategies is a step to increasing accessibility to those interested in attending CSB/SJU.

“We really have to make sure that we’re able to distribute our financial assistance out as evenly as possible to attract a very socioeconomically diverse class. We have families that make well into the seven digits in salary, and some that make less than what our total cost is. All of those students deserve the ability to have this experience,” Dehne said.

Along with methods of distributing financial aid to those in need, Dehne recognized changing demographics of students applying to colleges as another area for improvement.

“Some of the things we talk about at St. Ben’s and St. John’s institutionally is how do we make sure and continue to be an institution that can serve a diverse population?” Dehne said. “The demographics are changing, and with those demographic changes, institutions [are forced] to take a hard look at themselves about who they are now, and who they’ll need to be to be student-ready in the future.”

Further emphasis focuses on the alumni and current CSB/SJU students to recruit high school students who they feel would flourish at CSB/SJU.

Referrals from alumni and alumnae are increasingly prominent because they provide a passionate perspective on the power of a liberal arts degree.

According to CSB sophomore Margaret Grandgenett, changes in perception of liberal arts schools is an important topic to address with the decrease in enrollment.

“I think that specifically talking about liberal arts schools is probably a key thing because the whole liberal arts idea has changed over the years, and some people aren’t looking to take a whole bunch of classes that they consider unrelated to [their major],” Grandgenett said. “I think that maybe if liberal arts focused a little bit more on the qualifications that you receive from a liberal arts degree, then that would improve enrollment to those places.”

With a liberal arts degree comes a variety of required classes that don’t necessarily count towards a student’s major. The new Integrations curriculum instituted beginning with the class of 2024 caused much distress for incoming students like CSB first-year Maddie Kranz.

“I know for a fact I’ve talked to a lot of first-years and sophomores that are transferring or are considering [transferring] because of this new Integrations curriculum. I’ve heard a lot of people are struggling with it,” Kranz said. “For me, there’s not enough positives to keep me around with the curriculum, but for some people, they’re willing to overlook it.”

Due to her frustration with the new curriculum and lack of transparency with major options, Kranz plans to transfer to University of Wisconsin-River Falls, specifically for their Marketing Communications program.

Despite these enrollment challenges, CSB/SJU leadership find inspiration from current students to prepare them for life beyond college.

“I want to thank our students for their continued inspiration to our leadership team in looking at ways in which we can become an institution that best serves their needs and interests to prepare them for the world that they’re entering into to become difference-makers once they graduate,” Dehne said.