Catholic University of America: Faith life
The Catholic University of America (CUA), America’s oldest Catholic research university, experienced growth in enrollment and faith life this year while also anticipating future challenges.
The Washington, D.C.-based university welcomed its largest class of incoming students in recent years this fall and saw its highest number of applications in the past five years, according to Deanne Gipson. Gipson is the vice president of enrollment management for graduate and undergraduate studies at CUA.
“The future is very bright for us as we continue to strive for a goal set by President Peter Kilpatrick of having 10,000 students — graduate and undergraduate — enrolled within the next decade,” Gipson said.
Gipson noted that the college has seen a rise in both domestic and international graduate students and a 20% rise in undergraduate applications for fall 2024, well before the deadline.
CUA’s student body is also evenly split 50/50, male to female, which, according to the Cardinal Newman Society, runs contrary to higher education statistics showing women make up roughly 60% of U.S. college students.
But enrollment isn’t the only side of the university that is thriving.
“We are also seeing exponential growth in the faith life of the university as our campus ministry expands opportunities for students to grow in their love of God and devotion to the Church,” Gipson explained. “From celebrating Masses of inculturation to expanded ways to join fellow Catholics in prayer, the university seeks to ensure that our students are able to experience a life of faith and fellowship during their time on campus.”
The university struggled with staffing this year “due to the tight labor market for staff,” Gipson noted. Meanwhile, many universities, including CUA, are anticipating a drop-off in applications in 2025.
College tuition inflation is an increasingly relevant factor in students’ decisions to attend college.
According to the Education Data Initiative, the cost of college tuition has increased 747.8% since 1963, when accounting for inflation. But this year, college tuition is increasing at a rate slightly lower than the rate of inflation, according to December data from the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Catholic interest in attending college has been growing, however.
“In fact, one study by Gallup found that for those Catholics worshipping weekly or more often, their expected growth rate of college enrollment is 43.2% from 2019 to 2037 compared with a decrease of 10.3% for those Catholics who rarely or never attend Mass and a whopping 15.8% decline for non-Catholics,” Gibson observed. “This is very good news for the university, and we remain optimistic and look forward to the spring 2024 term and beyond.”
Magdalen College: A heartbreaking ending
Not all Catholic schools of higher education experienced growth in 2023, however. Magdalen College in Warner, New Hampshire, announced in the fall that the school will be closing at the end of this academic year.
Magdalen offers a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with majors in philosophy, literature, theology, and history. The school champions a traditional Catholic identity and the study of liberal arts in small-group, Socratic-style discussions. The school also emphasizes fine arts, especially choral singing. Its choir is making a final tour this month.
“I am heartbroken that this will be Magdalen College’s final year,” said Ryan Messmore, who became president of Magdalen in July 2021. “After the college experienced some severe challenges in 2020 and was subsequently put on probation in 2021, we have been working hard to move things in a better direction. If we had had a few more years to continue this momentum, things might have been different. However, a significant loan came due this year that caused the board to announce the upcoming closure.”
Messmore said the college has been making arrangements for the students to complete their education by securing teach-out agreements with six different Catholic institutions.
Most of the students will finish out a final semester at Magdalen in the spring.
“We understand and share the heartbreak of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and we will continue to work closely with them to succeed through this transition,” Messmore continued. “I am particularly grateful for the benefactors who have given to the college over the past month to help ensure that our faculty and staff can remain employed through May 2024, providing them the time they need to figure out their next steps.”
“God has been faithful to Magdalen College for 50 years, and we trust that we are in his hands even now,” he said.
