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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Volume 36 Issue 5 |
| News |
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| Graduates in May, new students in August |
| By Keegan Kociss, editor-in-chief |
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There is less than a month before the class of 2007 will walk across the stage to accept their degree from the University of St. Francis on May 5th.
What will happen to the graduates after they walk out of the doors of Tower Hall for the last time? No one really knows for sure, but the university will keep moving along without them.
USF's May commencement will boast over 500 graduates this year. There will be 139 graduate students receiving their degrees and 347 undergraduate recipients, according to enrollment services. Out of the 347 undergraduate
degree recipients, 203 are from campus programs.
The undergraduate numbers are pretty typical for May commencement; however, there are usually around 50 more graduate degree recipients.
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A prospective freshman student visits the
classrooms of St. Albert's Hall while on tour
with the Saints ambassadors.
Photo by Emily Newberg |
“I feel a great weight being
taken off my shoulders with graduation
coming up,” said senior Ben
Knight. “I already have my job in
order, I won't have to worry about
the payments for going to school,
and my life is going to be beginning
after school.”
But as the graduates move
on, and the rising seniors take
their rightful place at the top of
the roster, the university must get
over their loss of the previous seniors
and move on to accepting
incoming freshmen and transfer
students.
According to Meghan Connolly,
Director of Undergraduate
Admissions, the goal for the 2007-
2008 admissions is moving right
along. “Our goal for incoming
freshmen, and continuing students
alike, is 205,” she said.
The goals that the admissions
office has set up are based
on many different aspects. “These
goals are based on history, early
applications and so on. We use
conversion rates to try and determine
the best goal for us to look
toward,” Connolly said.
“As we stand, five months
before the start of fall classes, we
are happy to report that on the
transfer side, we have filled all
available nursing seats for fall,”
said Charles Beutel, Vice President
for Admissions and Enrollment.
“And we are running about
20 applications ahead of last year
in non-nursing transfer applications
with another heavy application
month ahead in April/May.”
Beutel went on to explain
that in March, freshmen nonathlete
applications were ahead
of last year's count by 100. And
freshmen confirming their intention
to register at USF are ahead of
last year by almost 60.
“The numbers are very
positive, but much can happen
between now and August 20th,”
Beutel said.
The fall semester is when USF collects the largest amount of
new students. According to Connolly,
many nursing students start
in the spring, but the majority of
freshmen come to USF in the fall.
The average age of our traditional
student here at USF is 21.
Over 90 percent of students are
currently receiving some type of
financial assistance. The admissions
office is expecting the Pell
Grant to increase, which, according
to Beutel, will help students in
the lower third of recipients.
“Student loan maximums
will also increase, giving our students
another option to pay for
college,” Beutel said. “Our hope
is that we might also see some
added assistance from the state of
Illinois, which would help a large
number of our students.”
According to the admissions
office, there are currently 260 student
athletes receiving partial
scholarships and about 800 students
receiving partial academic
scholarship or USF endowed
scholarship money.
Even though the university
is losing over 500 students come
May, the faculty, administration,
and staff must move on without
them. Because as they walk out,
another group of fresh-minded
students will be walking in. Some
nervously as they start their college
career, others used to it since
they transferred from another
school. Either way, the USF community
will be working to shape
the student's minds and educate
them in the same way they have
been for 87 years. |
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