Starting this week, there are more shiny bright young people on the streets around Capitol Hill. About 40% more than last year, to be exact. Seattle University is welcoming its largest incoming freshman class ever as more than 1,000 first-year students move into the area. We’ve included a bulletin sent to staff at the school this summer as preparations were made for the class of 2014 (or ’15 or ’16 depending on your life priorities).
Meanwhile, things are also crowded 23rd Ave’s Garfield High School which is now the most popular school in Seattle based on enrollment. The result is a lot of enthusiasm — and a lot of crowded classrooms. Sounds like a good education to CHS.
Dear Colleagues:
As many of you have heard, Seattle University anticipates welcoming its largest class of first-year students in its history in fall 2010. While a number of our deposited first-year students and their families will make their final decisions about attending the university over the summer and we do not yet know what our final fall enrollment numbers will be, we estimate we will greet approximately 1,075 new first-year students this fall.
There is tremendous good news in these numbers. It is gratifying to know that so many students have selected Seattle University as their undergraduate institution. We anticipate the cultural and geographic diversity of this cohort will be significantly above that of previous years and the level of academic preparation will be consistent with recent cohorts. In addition, the university continues its commitment to economic diversity, admitting a greater number of deserving students from low-income families, and thanks to preservation of state need grant funds and increased federal PELL grants, will do so at a lower discount rate than targeted in our budget.
We are grateful for, and excited about, this robust, diverse and academically strong cohort of young people who have chosen to come to Seattle University. At the same time, we recognize the size of this cohort creates challenges for many aspects of university operations and for many members of our university community. I want to express my appreciation to everyone who is working to ensure that each one of these students will have an outstanding first-year experience. I also want you to know we are working with the leadership of the necessary areas of the university to ensure the resources and support will be in place to successfully fulfill our responsibilities to provide our new students with the high-quality and personalized education that is the hallmark of Seattle University.
Our anticipated first-year student enrollment numbers for fall 2010 demonstrate that Seattle University is in high demand and students are eager to take advantage of the excellent academic programs and co-curricular activities offered by our faculty and staff. The university’s good and hard work during this recruitment season certainly has been rewarded. I am confident we will meet the virtuous challenges ahead of us as we prepare for the start of the fall quarter. As always, thank you for your goodwill, flexibility and understanding.
Sincerely,
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D.
Provost