Kansas Wesleyan University is on a three-year trajectory of growth. According to the official census data taken on the 20th day of enrollment, 791 students are attending this fall, the third consecutive year of growth and the largest student body since 2011.
The university welcomed 297 new students, 118 from Kansas, and the remainder from further afield representing 25 states and five countries; up 26 from last year. Current enrollment consists of 693 undergraduates and 98 graduate students. Local students are choosing KWU; 134 students are from hometowns located within a 30-mile radius of campus. The most popular majors for the incoming class are: Business Management, Criminal Justice, Pre-Nursing and Health Science/Pre-Physical Therapy
“Students and families are attracted to success. According to our most recent survey, 100 percent of our last graduating class is either employed or in graduate school. And, a remarkable 80 percent of this class filled out the survey,” Vice President for Admissions and Advancement, Dr. Melanie Overton, said.
The combination of innovative academics, a four-year career plan and a wide array of activities draw many students to Kansas Wesleyan. This year, the Music Department has the highest number of students majoring in Music Education, Music Performance and Music Theatre than there has been in the past 10 years. Twenty-eight new students are participating in music ensembles, helping to grow the performance groups to their largest numbers. Among the new freshmen in these ensembles, the average ACT score is 23 and GPA of 3.48.
“This new class brings tremendous talent to our program,” Ken Hakoda, chair of the Department of Music, said. “A majority of these new students were part of state and district orchestra, choir and band ensembles.”
Kansas Wesleyan also has the largest number of student-athletes in recent history with 504 among its 24 teams. KWU launched a competitive esports club team two years ago, and this year, five freshmen, hailing from California to Maine, were recruited for the team.
The university’s Master of Business Administration program is an area of growth for the university with 98 enrolled this fall, up from 73 a year ago, and the largest enrollment in at least 10 years. Twenty-five students are taking advantage of the fully online M.B.A. option. The M.B.A. program also creates opportunities for students to gain experience in graduate assistant positions; 38 graduate students are working in such positions.
New programs, such as the R.N.–B.S. online program, the addition of DECA, a club that prepares entrepreneurs for careers in business-related fields, and the recent announcement of a new bachelor’s degree in social work are all expected to continue to bolster enrollment for the 2018–19 academic year.
