While enrollment at private universities across the nation is expected to rise a scant 0.2 percent for the 2009-2010 school year, according to data from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, it appears two local institutions are bucking the trend.

The virtually flat growth factor is a testament to the impact the recession is having on private institutions—but River Forest’s Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago both hope to exceed these tepid expectations through strategic use of financial aid and by playing on the unique strengths of the local communities.

Concordia plans to welcome the largest freshman class in its history this fall, an increase of almost 100 incoming students over last year. That’s a 39 percent increase over the previous year’s freshman enrollment. Total undergraduate enrollment is expected to reach almost 1,300 students, up from 1,152 last year.

At Dominican University, admissions officials have noted a significant increase in the number of students transferring in from community colleges and other local universities. Mary Ann Rowan, vice president of enrollment management at Dominican, said transfer students usually make up their minds later in the summer—so these early transfers are fairly unusual.

“We work very closely with the students and the counselors at community colleges so that they know what to expect,” said Rowan.

Dominican’s freshman class stands at about 406 students, which exceeded the university’s goal for the coming school year.

Concordia’s efforts at student retention and growth recently won the university an award from Noel-Levitz, an Iowa City, Iowa-based education consulting firm. Concordia was one of three colleges to receive the 2009 marketing and recruitment excellence award at the National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing and Retention recently held in San Antonio, Texas.

“There’s a lot of fear, and no one is quite certain what’s going to happen,” said Evelyn Burdick, vice president of enrollment and marketing for Concordia. “To try and counter that, I think colleges need to give families as much time as they can to plan.”

For example, Burdick said Concordia sent out its financial aid estimates very early.

“We were one of the first, if not the first, in this area that had those packages out in those mailboxes,” she said. “Understanding and responding to the price sensitivity of families for college and making sure that we have procedures and processes to communicate affordability was really key. This year, while we increased our tuition and room and board, as most colleges did, we intentionally kept it under 5 percent—and [we] increased scholarships higher.”

Dominican University’s retention success stems from several new programs implemented to help ease the financial burden on new and existing students.

“We were concerned about students being able to return for the fall,” Rowan said.  “We’ve been very sensitive to the needs of the students and their parents.”

The Trustees’ Fund Loan to Grant program lets students borrow $3,000 to help out with tuition and fees. Later, when that student graduates, the loan is forgiven, essentially becoming a grant. Another program invites Dominican alumni to the university for help writing resumes, searching for a job and planning their finances. The university’s School of Leadership and Continuing Studies also offers scholarships to the parents of students who might be considering returning to school for more education.

Enrollment at Dominican and Concordia typically gets a big boost from the local community as well. Amenities like shopping, public transportation to Chicago and the local arts culture all play into a student’s decision to attend school in River Forest.

Burdick said Concordia’s incoming students are asked to rank their reasons for attending the university. The school’s location is always among the top five choices.

“They like the location near Chicago, and they very much like the Oak Park-River Forest neighborhood,” she said.

—By Patrick W. Rollens | Triblocal.com reporter

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