Thiel College enrollment growth rises above national and regional higher education trends

GREENVILLE, Pa. - EntSun -- Thiel College is bucking the trends of recently published reports in western Pa. media citing declining enrollments at colleges and universities regionally and nationally. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported recently that the national enrollment rate for the Fall 2021 semester is down an additional 3.2 percent following a decline of 3.4 percent in the previous academic year.

Thiel College (https://www.thiel.edu/) in contrast to those numbers. Enrollment increased by 7.5 percent in 2020 and just shy of 10 percent in 2021. Undergraduate enrollment grew about 4 percent each of the last two years.

More on EntSun News

• New Article Reveals Common Pricing Pitfalls in Flooring Projects — And How to Avoid Them
• Airbus Defence and Space and Omnitronics Sign MoU to Advance Interoperability in Critical Communications
• The Popes Of Farragut Street By Melanie Maria Goodreaux Premieres At Theater For The New City
• Meet the Game Changer: Canadian Streaming Platform Set to Transform Indie Entertainment Worldwide
• Author Laura J. Axelrod Joins Greg Richter to Co-Host Syncopator Familias

The reports identify the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic as a primary cause of the current decline. Doug Shapiro, the executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said if the trends continue this enrollment could be the largest enrollment decline in the last 50 years.

Thiel College has added graduate programs for business administration, clinical mental health counseling, communication and leadership, physician assistant studies and speech-language pathology. The College has also added new undergraduate degrees in data analytics, environmental safety management, exercise science and a new collaborative Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. Thiel's nursing degree comes at a time when the importance of healthcare workers has been emphasized during the worldwide pandemic. Even before COVID-19, the need for nurses was apparent. A state audit said Pennsylvania is going to be short 4,000 to 5,000 nurses by 2026.

More on EntSun News

• White Glove Restoration Sends "Help in Boxes" to Support Communities in Ghana
• NASA Agreements, New Ocean Exploration Applications Added to Partnerships with Defiant Space Corp and Emtel Energy USA for Solar Tech Leader: $ASTI
• Brightwater Lagoon to host Monster Mash Dance Party Oct. 24
• Chic and Secure: The Blue Luna Debuts Stylish Keychains with Purpose
• BEC Technologies Showcases Leadership in Private Broadband Ecosystem with Inclusion in UTC's Ecosystem Summary Report

"We do keep our eye on the demographics. There is a declining number of 18-year-olds in this region, which is a challenge for all colleges. I'm happy to report that our efforts to offer new undergraduate and graduate programs have led to enrollment increases," Thiel College President Susan Traverso, Ph.D. said. "At Thiel, our emphasis is on letting students shape themselves into the type of leader they want to be."

About Thiel College

Thiel College (https://www.thiel.edu/) is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 undergraduate majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to new master's degree programs in speech-language pathology, physician assistant and mental health counseling.