President's Column
Dear Friends of Austin College,
It goes without saying that this
is a unique time in history, when we all are affected by a severe
economic climate. I am hopeful that our economy will make a full
recovery soon, but in the meantime, we are making the necessary
adjustments at Austin College to meet this challenge.
During these times of recession,
we must be prudent in our actions to control costs without
negatively impacting the quality of the experiences our students
have on this campus. We are fortunate in that we have been able to
maintain strong programs and strong financial aid packages that
assist students to have positive educational experiences in a
residential liberal arts setting.
A good example of the success we
have met this year is in our current freshman class. We track the
success of each class from semester to semester, and I am pleased to
tell you we retained 96.8 percent of the freshman class from the
fall semester to the spring semester. This is the highest
fall-to-spring retention we have had since 2002 — and the second
highest in the last 10 years. In addition, we are on a record pace
with applications for admission and with deposits from those who
want to be a part of the new freshman class in fall 2009.
Today’s economic challenges are
greater than many of us ever have experienced. Nonetheless, I still
ask alumni and friends to place Austin College high on their list of
charitable support even during this difficult time and make a gift
to the Annual Fund this year. We need gifts of all sizes to enhance
the Annual Fund so we will have adequate resources to support our
scholarship program.
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