Syracuse Sun

Le Moyne College issued the following announcement on Sept. 28.

Operating in an unprecedented environment, Le Moyne continued its strong recent record of attracting students who are drawn to the College based on a number of factors including small class size, personal interaction between students and faculty, a strong focus on the liberal arts, modern facilities and other elements associated with Jesuit education. 

With nearly 650 students, the class of 2024 is the fourth-largest in the College's 75-year history. “I can’t tell you how encouraged I am by the remarkable success we had this spring,” said Le Moyne President Linda LeMura. “Beyond the increasingly competitive nature of the higher education marketplace throughout the Northeast, we had to change our entire enrollment management strategies and tactics due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The fact that we once again exceeded our goal is a testament to the quality and nature of the educational experience Le Moyne offers.”

One key to the recent enrollment success is the ongoing popularity of Promise NY. This comprehensive program not only provides additional financial assistance, but also promises to keep students on a path to graduate in four years, connect every student with a mentor, and provide an internship opportunity and job interview. Also helping recruitment were several enhanced admission efforts, including conducting admitted student interviews with Le Moyne alumni and connecting prospective students with members of the faculty and career advising professionals at events both in-person and virtually.

“Despite the necessary changes due to the pandemic, we never lost momentum as the admission team quickly pivoted to move from in-person to virtual events,” said Tim Lee, vice president for enrollment management at Le Moyne. “No matter how we interact with them, it’s clear that students understand and appreciate Le Moyne’s reputation for academic excellence and are excited to become part of the Dolphin family and to immerse themselves into our rich student experience.”

The class of 2024 continued Le Moyne’s recent trend related to diversity. For the second consecutive year, more than 25 percent of the first-year class identified as multicultural and 36 percent becoming the first-generation in their families to attend college. The academic profile for first-year students remains strong, with an average GPA of 3.60. The top seven declared majors for the incoming class are, in order, biology, business, nursing, psychology, pre-engineering, criminology and computer science.

According to Lee, in addition to the robust first-year class, the College also saw a larger-then-expected transfer class and numbers within graduate programs that exceeded expectations. Graduate program success included record enrollment in the Masters of Arts Administration and in Le Moyne’s healthcare offerings, such as Family Nurse Practitioner, Occupational Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies, which after more than two decades in existence is among the most sought-after programs in the nation. There was also a high level of interest in two new MBA concentrations in leadership and analytics offered through the Madden School of Business. The College also boasts two full cohorts of its first-ever doctoral program, an Ed.D. in executive leadership, which was launched in 2019.

Another strong element that differentiates Le Moyne from its competitors is the College’s innovative Manresa Program. A four-year experience that begins second semester freshman year, the Manresa Program engages small student groups, facilitated by Le Moyne faculty and administrators, in seminars and exercises focusing on personal exploration, development of core values, practical tools to help with career development and a richer sense of success in vocation and profession. In addition to Manresa, another popular element of the College’s Career Advising Office is the introduction over the summer of the new Le Moyne Community Internship Initiative, which focuses on internship opportunities for first- and second-year students.

Le Moyne continues to enjoy success in various rankings. In U.S. News & World Report 2021 rankings released earlier this month, within the Northeast Regional Universities category, the College was #17 overall, #8 in “Best Value Schools,” #7 in "Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching," #17 on the Most Innovative Schools listing and #7 in the “Best College for Veterans” category. The Madden School of Business was ranked #235 in the overall national business school rankings, up 25 positions from 2020 and placing it in the top 10 percent of business schools in the nation. Three Madden School programs were also ranked nationally – management information systems (#27), finance (#30) and accounting (#52). For the eighth straight year, Le Moyne was listed as one of The Princeton Review's top 368 colleges and was also in the top 12 percent of institutions based on return on investment by the Georgetown University Center for Education and Workforce.

Original source can be found here.