For the past two years, the enrollment and applicant pool at Elizabethtown College has continued to increase. In fact, Etown has reached its largest application pool in the past five years. There are many reasons why these numbers are increasing.

There are several departments working tirelessly to promote the College and to show prospective students why Etown may be the right school for them. One of these departments is the admissions office. Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management Adam Smith and his team are key players. Smith credits the many virtual events Etown has hosted for broadening the College’s reach to other parts of Pennsylvania and neighboring states. 

“The virtual events are great because if a student doesn’t have a means of transportation or they don’t feel comfortable coming to campus, it still provides them an opportunity to connect with admissions and faculty and learn more,” Smith said.

When asked what the admissions office has done recently to promote Etown, Smith emphasized that it is a team effort. “I think we’ve always had a saying that admissions and marketing, it’s like a left-hand, right-hand relationship,” he said. According to Smith, enrollment has risen 10 percent in each of the past two years.

Despite a temporary decline in enrollment, recently the number of students enrolling has increased. “Right now, we’re on pace to bring in the largest incoming class in the last five years. I think that is something we’re all excited about. With Etown we don’t want to ruin that small school feel that got us to where we are today, but of course we want to continue to grow,” he said. Smith also highlighted the new programs that Etown has recently added.

Some of these new programs include exercise science, neuroscience, additional engineering concentrations such as robotics and mechatronics as well as the accelerated physician’s assistant program, among others. These additional majors and programs have all led to more applications from prospective students. “When you offer more programs that are leading to real world outcomes, I think that can make a huge difference,” Smith said.

Vice President for Enrollment Management John Champoli also credits the collaborative effort between the admissions office and the office of marketing and communications. “They did a whole rebrand of our marketing materials. The person who’s in charge of the marketing here is Keri Straub, and she’s done a terrific job in that regard,” Champoli said. This rebranding has occurred over the past two years. 

When asked about the growing enrollment and applicant pool, Champoli said, “In fall 2020, the class that came in was 10 percent larger than the fall ’19 class, and then we got to do that again, so the fall 2021 class was 10 percent larger when you combine the first-year, transfer, graduate and online students was 10 percent larger than that fall ’20 class. They call this ‘10 percent year-over-year growth’ for the past two years in a row.”

These percentages are promising after the lockdown in 2020 when Etown went to completely remote learning. The College has weathered the worst of the pandemic regarding how to navigate online learning, and now the school is bouncing back. The numbers show a promising future for the College.

Both Smith and Champoli emphasized the importance of new facilities and buildings on campus attracting prospective students to the school. Both The Bower’s Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being and the construction of a new softball field are two examples of renovations and construction projects that may entice new Blue Jays. Champoli further stated that Etown has taken on new strategies during open houses and accepted students’ days that differ slightly from the way these events were run prior to the pandemic.

“I think Etown is always trying to personalize things. I think the last two years have been tough with COVID because it’s been remote, but now that things are back in person, it’s just a huge opportunity for us all to continue connecting with students to get them excited about Etown,” Champoli said. 

These personal touches and efforts to connect with prospective students and their families set Etown apart from other colleges and universities.