Westminster College Welcomes 390 New Students on Friday

Westminster College will welcome 390 new students Friday for the start of its 153rd academic year.

Dr. David Barner, associate professor of broadcast communications and department chair, will be the featured speaker at Opening Convocation at 1:30 p.m. in Orr Auditorium.

The Fresh Start team, comprised of 80 returning Westminster student volunteers, will greet the 368 freshmen and 22 transfer students and help move them into residence halls.  The volunteers will also assist with the four-day freshman orientation.  Classes begin Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Westminster limited its incoming freshmen class to approximately 365 students this year from nearly 17,000 inquiries and 1,400 applications.

"Since we stress quality over quantity, it forces us to make some tough admissions decisions," said Westminster Dean of Admissions Doug Swartz.  "We have implemented an early action program to help high achieving students secure a spot in future classes.  We also have two special merit scholarships to allow Presbyterian pastors and Westminster alumni employed in the education field to nominate deserving students during the early action phase."

"We already have over 11,000 high school juniors inquiring about admission for fall 2006," Swartz added.  "We are at capacity in our residence halls and will be building student townhouse apartments this year. We expect admission into Westminster to be even more competitive next year."

The class of 2009 comes to Westminster with a solid academic background, and an average high school grade point average of 3.41 in core classes.  The Westminster freshmen have an average SAT score of 1,074 nearly 70 points higher than the average score in Pennsylvania and 60 points higher than the national average.

"We strive to keep class sizes level each year, and becoming an impersonal mega-university is not part of the Westminster plan," according to President R. Thomas Williamson.

"We have a strategic plan that emphasizes controlled growth.  We strive to become a better college, not a bigger college," Williamson said. "Westminster prides itself on recruiting bright, well-rounded students, and then exceeding their expectations while they are here. The unusual level of attention students receive at Westminster has led to our rankings as a national leader in graduation rate performance, while remaining one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania.  We are pleased to see that prospective students and their parents value the distinctive attributes Westminster has to offer."

Total enrollment, including Graduate school and the Lifelong Learning Program, will likely surpass 1,600 in the fall.  An additional 300 to 400 area residents will take non-credit courses at Westminster throughout the year.

Contact Doug Swartz at (724) 946-7107 or swartzdl@westminster.edu for more information.

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