The school reports a big increases in the number of freshmen students.
Emmitsburg, Md. (KM) A record enrollment is reported this year at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg. President Tim Trainor says the number of freshmen increased by more than 100 for fall semester, 2017, which is a 25% jump over 2016. That totals out to over 510 freshmen attending the Mount this year.
“We’ve also significantly increased the number of our transfer students, many coming from community colleges in Frederick and the surrounding areas. So we’re really excited by the growth in enrollments,” says Trainor.
And there’s also enrollment increases in the Mount’s seminary, which trains men to Catholic priests. “We’ve gone from 119 at this point last year to 146,” he says.
Trainor says about 60% of the freshmen come form Maryland. “Outside of Maryland, the other largest contributing states we get students from are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and some from Virginia and some from a few other places. We’re starting draw from down south to North and South Carolina and the Atlanta area,” he says.
This means that the Mount is recovering from a decline in enrollment it experienced a few years ago. “When you look at it overall, it’s the second largest freshmen class ever in Mount history. That’s a significant recovery from our low point last year,” he says.
The Mount recently underwent a tumultuous period under the leadership of Simon Newman, which brought some negative publicity to the University.
Total enrollment for Mount Saint Mary’s is 2,186 students, according to the school’s website.
Trainor says there’s also some new majors being offered this year, including one in entrepreneurship. “The Palmeri Center of Entrepreneurship we started that through a donation from a very generous graduate. We hired a director and we have a major that’s been approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission in entrepreneurship,” he says. “I think that’s really going to take off and be a signature program for the Mount.”
“We also have majors that are starting in cybersecurity. That one’s really taking affect this year. Forensic accounting started last year, but that’s growing. And we have an interdisciplinary major in politics, philosophy and economics that’s really taking off,” says Trainor.
Fall semester 2017 began Monday of last week at Mount Saint Mary’s University.
By Kevin McManus