News Release
August 2003
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)—As
Moravian College begins a major initiative to increase the quality
and quantity of its student
body, the Admission Office is reporting another record-breaking year.
The incoming Class of 2007 will be the largest in its 261-year history.
From a record number of applications, the College has enrolled 386
freshmen. The previous high mark for enrollment was the Class of 2004,
when 378 freshmen were enrolled.
The Class of 2007 is also among the most academically
prepared. The average, combined SAT score of our new class is at
a record high; More
than half of Moravian’s incoming freshmen were among the top
20 percent of their graduating high school class; 31 percent of the
new students were ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school
class.
Other notable characteristics of the Class of 2007 include:
- 187, nearly half our freshmen,
are members of the National Honor Society
- 126 were team captains in an athletic program
- 106 were high school class officers
- 41 are Comenius Scholars
- 40 are students of color (an unprecedented 10 percent of the new
class)
- 18 were editors of their high school newspapers
- 3 have performed at Carnegie Hall
“We had a great year overall, said Jim Mackin, director of admissions. “The
summer was very busy with appointments and our fall open house programs
were well attended. We received the largest number of applications
in the history of the college; therefore, selectivity for admission
was enhanced—resulting in one of the strongest classes ever to
enroll.”
“Once again, we are very proud to present a high-quality class
to the faculty of Moravian College” said Bernard Story, vice
president for enrollment. “The Class of 2007 will stand out,
not only because of its size, but more importantly, because of its
diversity and because of the large number of campus leaders that it
includes.”
The College points to a number of reasons for its recent success
in admissions. Most notably are the expanded campus facilities, including
the new Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex, and aggressive use of
merit scholarships, and its surge in national college rankings.
“Moravian College has the unique opportunity to deliver the
message of a high quality and rigorous undergraduate academic program,
fostered within a caring community and provided by an outstanding faculty.
It’s a simple message, and students and their families have really
responded to the “no bells and whistles” approach,” said
Story
“This new milestone is part of a greater success story at Moravian
that reflects the hard work and commitment of an entire campus community,” said
Dr. Ervin J. Rokke, Moravian College president. “So much of our
achievement during the past few years – in bold strategic planning,
sweeping improvements to infrastructure, and the remarkable qualitative
and quantitative growth of our student body—is both cumulative
and highly interdependent.”
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective liberal arts
college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to
1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college. Visit the
Web site at www.moravian.edu.
