Expansion coming to Trine

Record enrollment drives projects

 

A record fall enrollment and the doubling of residential students over the past seven years have sparked expansion plans and a new goal for the capital campaign at Trine University.

Trine housing officials expect 1,030 on-campus residents this fall semester, an increase of 108 percent since 2002, said Vice President for Enrollment Management Scott Goplin.

The university has also significantly increased total incoming student enrollment for each of the past five years, growing from 317 in fall 2004 to 508 this fall for an increase of 62 percent. Since last year, overall Trine main campus enrollment is up 9.2 percent and residential enrollment has increased 13 percent. Main campus enrollment is expected to top 1,450 students. University administrators estimate Trine will serve over 1,900 students this fall, including its School of Professional Studies and online students, the highest institutional enrollment since 1969.

The increased residential population will require additional new construction and renovation. Additional apartment-style housing will be built, and the university will break ground this fall on Fred Zollner Stadium to support the growth of NCAA Division III athletics.

Renovations will support growing academic programs. The Ketner School of Business, which recently earned Association of College Business Schools and Programs accreditation, will relocate to the Ford building after the building’s renovation to provide additional space required by the growth within the school of business. Funds continue to be raised for the renovation of the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts, now in the final design stages. The building supports the university’s growing music education and performance program.

Spearheading the multi-faceted plan is the university’s Vision for the Future capital campaign, which has channeled $65 million into new facilities, enhanced technology and expanded academic programming over the past five years. The campaign has exceeded its $90 million goal, and phase two will generate another $75 million. Of those funds, 23 percent, or approximately $17.2 million, will support the Annual Fund for scholarships, 34 percent, or approximately $25.7 million, will support additional capital programs, and 43 percent, or $32 million, will support university endowment. The final approval for phase two of the campaign will be announced in the fall.

To continue to serve a diverse set of students, the university now offers new master degree programs on evenings and Saturdays within the School of Professional Studies, and has created the Trine Virtual Campus (TVC), which will employ multiple technologies to make some of its graduate and undergraduate education programs available anytime, anywhere through the World Wide Web. TheTVC will attract students from around the world and provide convenience for main campus students with job and athletic commitments.

The university further demonstrated its commitment to students by providing additional funds to fall enrollees impacted by a shortfall in State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) funding. SSACI provides need-based education grants to students. Trine will devote nearly $12 million to need-based grants and scholarships this year, and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report among colleges with students graduating with the least debt.

Trine can boast student increases in spite of a faltering economy for a number of reasons, with forecasting and adjusting for larger student numbers chief among them, said Trine University President Earl D. Brooks II. “We have been planning for enrollment increases for the past five years. We took steps to bring that about before the economic crisis occurred, and those steps have been successful,” he said.

However, excellent education remains the dominant draw. “First and foremost, students are attracted to our strong academic programs,” Brooks said.