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Ave Maria’s enrollment no longer in ‘crisis’ mode
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All around Ave Maria University’s campus, Michael Williams, the director of admissions, carries with him a leather portfolio that has the information everyone wants to see.
What are the numbers, Michael? he’s asked.
These days, he’s more than happy to share.
The school is on track to meet its ambitious enrollment goals for next year, adding 371 new students, including 21 student-athletes. Williams said 340 have already deposited, and SAT scores for new freshman are at the same level as past years.
“I’m confident that we’re going to do well this year and next,” Williams said.
It’s a far cry from 17 months ago when then-Provost, the Rev. Joseph Fessio, referred to the school’s admissions situation as “a crisis” and even 14 months ago when the entire admissions department was gutted, following Fessio’s high-profile firing and rehiring in a non-administrative role.
Williams, a 38-year-old who wears Burberry glasses and pinstripped suits, became a one-man department last May and appears to have excelled in the role.
“It’s art and science at the same time in how you do this,” Williams said. “You can’t just spray and pray.”
A former broker on Wall Street, Williams sounds like a salesman at heart, given his frequent use of terms like “value added.”
Williams moved to the Naples area in 2005 to take care of his ailing parents and handicapped sister. He was the one chosen among his siblings to go to Florida because “I was the one without a life,” Williams joked.
Tired of sitting by the pool, Williams looked into a job at Ave Maria. A graduate of Christendom College, an orthodox Catholic school in Virginia, Williams had long been a supporter of the school. In Naples, his family went to Mass at Ave Maria’s temporary campus in North Naples. After Williams was hired first as an admissions offer, he bounced between a number of departments before landing back in admissions.
He’s guided the school’s successful direct mail campaign and was integral in its establishment of summer programs for high school students that will begin this year. Since then the admissions staff has increased to a soon-to-be six, but only along with the school’s enrollment figures.
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TM bought everything else--he might as well buy students, too. No mention in the story of the exact cost of tuition. Understand it is around $24,000. Any of the top SAT group that chooses a school without an accreditation after 5 years is not too smart.
#1 Posted by LooLooney on May 9, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know about your comment. I know these students very well. I would hire them in a heartbeat. They are honest, sincere, dedicated, and most importantly, hard-working people who will contribute to society to make it better.
What more could any employer ask for from a college grad.
The tuition is a bit high.
However, many of the students get financial aid.
#2 Posted by beetlejuice on May 9, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
[im just an observer from Las Vegas, and have no axes to grind or affliations]
Only two years going, and it's on target for great success apparently. Apparently the students really see the part they play in trailblazing.
The critical forum posts in this paper seem disjointed from the community...hmmm, I wonder where they're coming from?
Heading in the right direction, of course. No doubt AMU will turn out a ton of great graduates...the law school is very prestigeous and turned out some great new lawyers and has Robert Bork as professor. Higher bar pass % than U of Michigan!...it took five years for AM Law to get accredited, and that was considered amazingly quickly. The slight controversy at the law school was only over moving it. There was pent up demand for the law school just like there is pent up demand for AMU.
Core courses usually transfer from nonaccredited schools, if that's a concern to the trailblazer students in the next couple years.
#3 Posted by billster0756 on May 27, 2008 at 6:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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