Nearly 500 new freshmen will arrive on campus for fall semester
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Grand Rapids, Michigan (August 19, 2010) - Aquinas College will welcome the second
largest freshmen class to campus when the fall semester begins on Monday, August 23.
The 493 incoming freshmen surpass last year's class of 452 students by over nine percent,
while the addition of more than 70 transfer students brings the total new student
enrollment to over 560 students. Collectively, the incoming class represents fifteen
states, as far away as California and Georgia.
“The growth of new students is attributable to expanded marketing efforts, facility enhancements and an increasing interest in Aquinas’ strong academic programs,” said Admissions' Dean Tom Mikowski. Significant additions and improvements to the Aquinas campus in recent years include: the state-of-the-art Grace Hauenstein Library; renovation of the Academic Building’s second floor; a 64-student apartment complex; and the new Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center scheduled to open in September.
Additionally, the College has undertaken a multi-million dollar Science Initiative, which to date has raised more than $625,000 for new science equipment and more than $3.0 million in endowments for research and scholarships.
“Given the multi-billion dollar expansion in the medical and science facilities in Grand Rapids, it is encouraging to see that science and health areas still lead the way in terms of interest from incoming students,” said Mikowski. This fall’s new student enrollment includes more than 50 students in the Aquinas/University of Detroit – Mercy Nursing Program. The College's investment in the health and science fields "will only serve to strengthen our commitment to prepare students for these jobs in our community," said Mikowski.
U.S.News & World Report (USN&WR) again lists Aquinas College as a "Great Schools, Great Prices" institution among its top regional universities in the Midwest. According to the 2011 edition of USN&WR's America's Best Colleges, officially released August 17, Aquinas was named as a best value and ranked second among the top 15 in its category.
“The growth of new students is attributable to expanded marketing efforts, facility enhancements and an increasing interest in Aquinas’ strong academic programs,” said Admissions' Dean Tom Mikowski. Significant additions and improvements to the Aquinas campus in recent years include: the state-of-the-art Grace Hauenstein Library; renovation of the Academic Building’s second floor; a 64-student apartment complex; and the new Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center scheduled to open in September.
Additionally, the College has undertaken a multi-million dollar Science Initiative, which to date has raised more than $625,000 for new science equipment and more than $3.0 million in endowments for research and scholarships.
“Given the multi-billion dollar expansion in the medical and science facilities in Grand Rapids, it is encouraging to see that science and health areas still lead the way in terms of interest from incoming students,” said Mikowski. This fall’s new student enrollment includes more than 50 students in the Aquinas/University of Detroit – Mercy Nursing Program. The College's investment in the health and science fields "will only serve to strengthen our commitment to prepare students for these jobs in our community," said Mikowski.
U.S.News & World Report (USN&WR) again lists Aquinas College as a "Great Schools, Great Prices" institution among its top regional universities in the Midwest. According to the 2011 edition of USN&WR's America's Best Colleges, officially released August 17, Aquinas was named as a best value and ranked second among the top 15 in its category.