Posted on Friday, September 13, 2024
With a booming industrial community in Troup County, President Susanna Baxter shared in her State of the College address on Thursday how the institution has been working to help meet the needs of these industries by introducing new programs. The latest is a manufacturing engineering technology bachelor’s degree that LC’s Board of Trustees recently approved.
“The students who graduate from this program will go on to be engineers at industrial companies making sure that products are of good quality and are safe,” she said. “There are not enough of these types of engineers in this community to satisfy the work needs of the industries that are currently here and those that Troup County is working to attract. We felt like LaGrange College had a role in helping.”
The new program is planned to start next fall.
“Engineering is one of our most popular majors that we get asked about,” she said. “The new degree will help immensely in this community.”
In addition, the college has also worked on adding a master’s degree in computer science slated for a January start and a bachelor’s degree in computer science in the fall of 2025.
“Industry employers came to us about a need for computer science, so we listened,” she said.
The college’s innovative programs are key factors contributing to its recent enrollment growth. The campus population grew 21% this year, with graduate enrollment up 82% over last year.
Contributing to the graduate program’s growth in numbers are Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the new Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.
“We have the largest graduate enrollment in the institution’s history,” President Baxter said. “We increased Clinical Mental Health Counseling by 94%. The first cohort of our Education doctorate program has 31 students.”
Because of the larger amount of students in the counseling program, a second cohort will start in the spring.
The Education doctorate program will graduate its first cohort of students in May 2026.
“This degree was launched because we listened to school system leaders who said we do not have enough employees with doctoral level training in curriculum and instruction,” President Baxter said.
The college also saw growth in the number of new students. President Baxter noted that its 431 new students, which include dual enrollment, freshmen, transfer and graduate, is the second-largest total for the institution. Of those new students, 237 are freshmen who arrived on campus this fall.
“We’re excited about the energy of these new students,” she said. “They come from across six states in the Southeast. We also have three new international students from India, Argentina and French Guadeloupe.”
President Baxter also spoke about housing capacity reaching 88% and the newly renovated bathrooms in the Hawkes, Pitts and Boatwright residence halls.
“We’re grateful for these updates around campus,” she said.
Regarding the Class of 2024, President Baxter celebrated the fact that 87% of those graduates received a job offer or were accepted into graduate school by graduation day.
“We strive to inspire the souls and the minds of our students, and for them to live lives of integrity and moral courage,” she said.
President Baxter also:
Troup County Teacher of the Year
Wednesday, Sept. 18
3:30 p.m., Room D-420, West Side
Constitution Day
Thursday, Sept. 19
11:15 a.m., Dickson Assembly Room
Football
The Panthers fell 57-12 to East Texas Baptist University on Friday, Sept. 6. The team will stay on the road to play Division II’s newest team, Anderson University on Saturday, Sept. 14 (tomorrow).
Junior Brandon Matson was named USA South Special Teams Player of the Week. He punted seven times with a long of 50 yards.
Men’s Soccer
LC crushed Mississippi University for Women 6-0 on Friday, Sept. 6. The team will travel to North Carolina to face Methodist University on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. and Greensboro College on Sunday, Sept. 15, at noon.
Women’s Soccer
The Panthers fell 6-0 to Meredith College on Sunday, Sept. 8. The team hosts Centenary College on Saturday, Sept. 14 (tomorrow), at 1 p.m. The Panthers play Berry College on the road on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Volleyball
LC lost 3-0 to Tennessee Wesleyan University but beat Tuskegee University 3-1 on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Panthers are 3-2 after dropping an away match 1-3 to Clark Atlanta University on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The team plays in a road quad-match in Lynchburg, Virginia, the weekend of Sept. 13-14.
Freshman Ella Kahikina earned her second Rookie of the Week award from the Collegiate Conference of the South. In the Panthers' impressive win against Division II opponent Tuskegee, Kahikina delivered a dominant performance with 25 kills, hitting at a stellar .391 clip and also contributing 12 digs.
Men’s Tennis
The Panthers completed their first scrimmage of the year against Coastal Alabama Community College on Friday, Sept. 6. The team plays in the John McWilliams Invitational Tournament at Huntingdon College the weekend of Sept. 13-14.
Women’s Tennis
LC played Coastal Alabama Community College in the first scrimmage of the season on Friday, Sept. 6. The team plays in the John McWilliams Invitational Tournament at Huntingdon College the weekend of Sept. 13-14.
Women’s Golf
The Panthers competed in their first-ever tournament the weekend of Sept. 6-7. Freshman Emma McCoy shot a team-best plus 43, placing her 33rd out of 46 golfers.
(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)
Friday, Sept. 13 – Volleyball Quad-Match, Lynchburg, Virginia
Friday, Sept. 13 – Women’s Tennis Tournament, Montgomery, Alabama
Friday, Sept. 13 – Men’s Tennis Tournament, Montgomery, Alabama
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Women’s Soccer (Home) vs. Centenary, 1 p.m., Panther Field
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Men’s Soccer at Methodist, 2 p.m., Fayetteville, North Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Football at Anderson, 6 p.m., Anderson, South Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Volleyball Quad-Match, Lynchburg, Virginia
Saturday, Sept. 14 –Women’s Tennis Tournament, Montgomery, Alabama
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Men’s Tennis Tournament, Montgomery, Alabama
Sunday, Sept. 15 – Men’s Soccer at Greensboro, noon, Greensboro, South Carolina
Tuesday, Sept. 17 – Women’s Soccer at Berry College, 6 p.m., Rome, Georgia
Wednesday, Sept. 18 – Volleyball Reserves at Point, 7 p.m., West Point, Georgia
Manchester native, LaGrange College alum performs at Paris 2024 Olympics, WTVM, Sept. 10
LaGrange College experiences boost in enrollment, LaGrange Daily News, Sept. 7
Category: Academics, College
Keywords: Education, Enrollment
