Shorter University records record enrollment; marks start of classes with convocation ceremony Wednesday

August 23 – Shorter University’s preliminary enrollment numbers for the fall semester indicate a 25 percent growth in the traditional student enrollment over last year. As classes began Monday, Shorter’s head count topped 1,500. The fall 2009 enrollment was 1,205.

“We are thrilled to announce that our fall enrollment not only exceeds our 2010 goal but has us reaching our goal of enrolling 1,500 students on this campus two years ahead of schedule,” said Shorter University President Dr. Harold E. Newman. “Our strategic plan calls for us to enroll 1,500 students on this campus by the year 2012. Accomplishing that goal two years early is the result of an incredible campuswide effort that involved virtually every employee and department on campus including admissions and financial aid, the registrar, advising, faculty, the business office, student affairs, our office of Student Engagement and Success, our coaches and our maintenance staff. For example, department chairs worked with deans and the registrar during the summer months to add 40 course sections to accommodate additional growth. Such commitment on the part of faculty and staff members is vital to our continued success.”

In addition, Dr. Newman added that the enrollment in Shorter’s adult-degree and master’s programs has topped 2,000, bring the university’s total enrollment to 3,500 students.   

Shorter University will celebrate the official start of its 139th academic year on Wednesday, Aug. 25 — its first as a university since its name change in June.

Convocation is a traditional celebration signaling the introduction of incoming freshmen into the Shorter family. It also recognizes seniors as they enter into their last year as a Shorter University undergraduate.

Convocation begins at 9 a.m. when students meet with fellow classmates in their respective major departments. The formal ceremony begins at 10 a.m. inside the Winthrop-King Centre and will include an academic processional, comments from Shorter President Dr. Harold Newman and other university administrators, the singing of Shorter’s “Alma Mater” and an academic recessional. After the indoor ceremony, faculty and administrators walk to the top of Shorter Hill and cheer as incoming freshmen are lead through Shorter’s “Enter to Learn” gate.

The start of the Shorter’s 2010-2011 academic year also marks the beginning of the university’s new School of Nursing and the off-campus establishment of Shorter’s Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business.

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian college committed to excellence in education. Since 2003, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Shorter among the South’s best baccalaureate colleges, and the Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its lists of best value and best Southeastern college. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas as well as undergraduate degree programs for working adults, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in Leadership. General education and calculus courses are offered in an online format, and Shorter recently launched online programs that lead toward the Associate of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Master of Accountancy degrees. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.



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