Enrollment, strategic plan highlighted in President's address

Posted on Friday, September 09, 2022

Administrators, faculty and staff, alumni and community members responded with enthusiasm as President Susanna Baxter delivered reports on new enrollment data and the college’s strategic plan in her State of the College address on Thursday in Turner Hall.

In her speech, Dr. Baxter reflected on last month’s arrival of 226 new first-year students, the college’s largest freshman class since 2019.

“We are up 75% from last year’s freshman class,” she said. “We got up to 75% because the board, faculty and staff worked enormously hard to change every facet of how we recruit students.”

President Baxter, who got to know the new class during summer orientations, said these students are excited to be on campus.

“The energy they are bringing is palpable,” she said.

After two COVID-19 influenced years, Dr. Baxter said it will take some time for the college to return to pre-pandemic numbers.

“It’s going to take us awhile to get back to 1,000 students, but we know we’re going to get there,” she said.”

When speaking on the future of the college, President Baxter referred to the college’s five-year strategic plan that was approved by the Board of Trustees in April.

“This plan (‘Empowering the Present, Building the Future’) builds upon our mission which is rooted in our Wesleyan heritage and our liberal arts tradition,” she said. “It leads to our vision which is the transformation of our students’ lives.”

She described some of the action items in the strategic plan.

“We need to stabilize our pipeline of incoming students,” she said. “We also want to start new graduate programs.”

Dr. Baxter said the strategic plan will also focus on improving the college’s retention rate.

“It is important that we retain the students we have,” she said. “There is a concerted effort going into how we retain our students.”

She said this year’s increase in retention is a step in the right direction.

“Our retention rate went up 4% this year and we are thrilled by that number,” she said. “We have a long way to go to get to where we want to be.”

Dr. Baxter explained where the college aims to be at the end of the strategic plan.

“We’re going to end the five years with a campus that is revitalized,” she said. “We’re going to engage in such a way that we’re going to be a regional leader in student-centered education.”

President Baxter also:

• Acknowledged the renovated Moshell Learning Center and Tutoring Lab that opened at the start of classes on Aug. 22.
• Shared the timeline of the SACSCOC accreditation process, which is well underway.
• Congratulated Kathy Reese McCollum '81, M'17 on becoming the college’s first female chairperson of the Board of Trustees.
• Applauded the replacement of HVAC systems in Turner Hall and Pitts Dining Hall over the summer.
• Celebrated the 2021-22 Panther baseball team that placed third in the Division III World Series and the college’s new athletic conference, the Collegiate Conference of the South.

Campus Notes

• This fall’s Leadership Academy for student officers representing campus groups from Greek organizations to special-interest clubs will be held Friday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 25. Students can RSVP to the event online.
• The Student Government Association is accepting applications for senators and two positions on the Executive Council. Senators serve as representatives for each class (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). There will be three senators elected per class. The Executive Council has openings for a Director of Multicultural Affairs and a Director of Food and Sustainability. Interested students need to complete the SGA Senator and EC application by Friday, Sept. 9, at noon.
• Make plans to attend Homecoming Weekend Oct. 7-9. Visit the Homecoming website for more information.

Cultural Enrichment Events

Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions.

Through Monday, Sept. 12

Young Alumni Lecture: Read Blumberg ’97

• Learn from LC graduate and former SGA president Blumberg as he discusses his time as an undergraduate student and what advice and insight he has for current undergraduates. Blumberg is the senior manager of sales at CAE Healthcare in Woodstock, Georgia.

Tuesday, Sept. 13

Constitution Day Talk

11 a.m., Corn Auditorium, Lewis Library

• State Representative Debbie Buckner will talk about the Constitution and today's politics.

Video of the Week

LaGrange College President Dr. Susanna Baxter updates the school's stakeholders on recent campus improvements, fall 2022 enrollment numbers and her five-year plan for institutional advancement.

Sports

Cross Country – The Panthers competed in their first meet of the season Friday, Sept. 2, at the Foothill Invitational in Oxford, Alabama. Sophomore Isaiah Oden paced the LC men with a 19:51 in the 5K race. For the women, Freshman Kennedy Young set the pace with a 20:53 in the 4K. The team competes today (Friday) at the Huntingdon Hawks Invitational in Grady, Alabama.

Men’s Soccer – The team kicked off the 2022 season with two wins, an 11-0 shutout of Millsaps and a 3-0 victory over Pensacola Christian. Senior Enrique Hernandez was named Collegiate Conference of the South Player of the Week for his standout performance. The team takes on Centenary today (Friday) at 1 p.m. (new game time) at Panther Field.

Women’s Soccer – Due to severe weather, the Panthers completed only one game last week during a road trip to Florida. The team came up short, 2-1, in its match against Edward Waters. They face Oglethorpe Saturday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at Panther Field.

Football – LC launches the season this Saturday, Sept. 10, away at Berry College at 6 p.m. The Panthers bring an experienced offense to the contest, including quarterback Shedrick Lindsey and All-American tight end De’Queze Fryer.

Volleyball – Starting the season with a home tourney, the Panthers came up short in three matches in Richter Gymnasium. The team lost to Huntingdon 3-1, Alverno 3-0 and North Carolina Wesleyan 3-1. The Panthers will be on the road today and Saturday for matches at the Hendrix Invitational in Conway, Arkansas.

Calendar

(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)

Friday, Sept. 9-Cross Country at Huntingdon Hawks Invitational, 10 a.m., Grady, Alabama

Friday, Sept. 9-Men’s Soccer vs. Centenary, 1 p.m., Panther Field

Friday, Sept. 9-Volleyball vs. Lyon (Hendrix Invitational), 5 p.m., Conway, Arkansas

Saturday, Sept. 10-Volleyball vs. East Texas Baptist (Hendrix Invitational), 11 a.m., Conway, Arkansas

Saturday, Sept. 10-Volleyball at Hendrix (Hendrix Invitational), 1 p.m., Conway, Arkansas

Saturday, Sept. 10-Men’s Soccer vs. Ozarks, 3 p.m., Panther Field

Saturday, Sept. 10-Women’s Soccer vs. Oglethorpe, 6:30 p.m., Panther Field

Tuesday, Sept. 13-Volleyball vs. Coastal Georgia, 7 p.m., Richter Gymnasium

Wednesday, Sept. 14-Men’s Soccer vs. Toccoa Falls, 5 p.m., Panther Field

Wednesday, Sept. 14-Women’s Soccer vs. Toccoa Falls, 7 p.m., Panther Field

 

 

 

Category: Community, College, Academics

Keywords: College, Strategic Plan, Enrollment