President’s Column: Spring Successes
Greetings from VCSU!
It has been a busy time on the VCSU campus these past two weeks! We’ve hosted more than 1,200 high school students for the EDC music contest and DECA emerging leaders workshop. Providing opportunities for students to experience the excitement of the campus, meet some of our amazing faculty, staff, and students, and see the plethora of opportunities that abound certainly plays a factor in our continued enrollment success.
Enrollment is an important driver of continued success and stability but is also an indicator of the trust students and families are placing in the educational opportunities, attention to affordability, and career attainment made possible with a degree from VCSU. Spring 2024 enrollment numbers recently released confirm this. We are pleased to report record spring enrollments with 1,747 total students. This includes 1,628 undergraduates and 119 graduate students. Additionally, we set a full-time equivalent (FTE) record of 1,148, a six percent increase from Spring 2023. The FTE number helps create opportunities for innovation, new initiatives, and moving our campus forward.
Another quality indicator was recently reinforced with the release of the 2024 US News and World Report Best Online Programs. VCSU was recognized for having one of the best online bachelor’s programs in the nation. Additionally, our online master’s in education program was the only regional public institution in North Dakota included in the rankings. Our continued success and growth depend on meeting students where they are. By providing high-quality, affordable programs to students when and where they need them is one of the advantages and conveniences of our online offerings.
You may ask, do these ratings matter? The answer is YES! Just as fall enrollments have continued to set records, our spring enrollment headcount has increased by 35% since 2015! This is a unique upward trend that many universities are simply not experiencing in today’s higher education landscape. We are so fortunate to have outstanding support from our community, friends and alumni who provide outstanding scholarship support.
In closing, I’d like to mention two of our seniors who were recognized at their last home basketball games on February 10. Adriana Torres, the lone senior on the women’s basketball team, was recognized at the doubleheader and totaled 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Adriana is from Pelican Rapids, MN. Cleveland Bedgood, the only senior on our men’s basketball team from Miami, FL, was recognized between games and went on to score 26 points in a decisive win over Waldorf. Both student athletes have amassed impressive resumes and the contributions they have made to VCSU are significant. We wish them both much success at the conclusion of this season and in their chosen career paths!
Go Vikings!