Lebanon Valley College Enrolls Largest Incoming Class in 146-Year History

College also presents $77,600 to community organizations during opening breakfast

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From left: President MacDonald, Board of Trustees Chair Lynn Philips, Annville Township Supervisor Dick Charles, Annville Township Secretary Bruce Hamer, AC School Superintendent Dr. Steven Houser

ANNVILLE, PA (08/26/2011)(readMedia)-- Lebanon Valley College has enrolled the largest incoming class in the College's 146-year history, with 511 new students stepping foot on campus this fall. Total full–time undergraduate enrollment stands at the largest number in the past four years, with 1,633 students. The preliminary 2011 figures were released at the 15th Annual Opening Breakfast.

Total full–time undergraduate enrollment increased 1.5 percent from last year-1,611 to 1,633 students. New full–time student enrollment increased three percent from last year-498 to 511. Additionally, 480 graduate students from the business administration, music education, and science education master's programs, and 160 part-time undergraduate students will study at LVC this fall.

William J. Brown Jr. '79, LVC vice president of enrollment, said, "This fall's entering class is the largest in the College's history. The record class and several initiatives in retention, directed toward improving the entire collegiate experience for our students, have produced the largest full-time undergraduate opening enrollment in the last four years."

The incoming class includes 469 freshmen and 42 transfer students from nine states. Seventy-seven percent of the entering freshmen graduated in the top 30 percent of their high school class, warranting them automatic Presidential Scholarships of up to 50 percent off tuition. An additional 61 freshmen were awarded Presidential Scholarships based on other factors including standardized test scores, rigor of their high school curriculum, and extracurricular activities. The result is that 82 percent of the freshman class has been awarded one of the three merit-based scholarships.

Dr. Stephen MacDonald, LVC president, also announced the College's annual gifts to the community. MacDonald presented checks to Annville Township's downtown economic development project for $50,000, Annville Township for $10,800, and Annville-Cleona School District for $16,800. The $50,000 gift to the downtown economic development project was the College's fourth of a five-year, $250,000 gift.

MacDonald said, "Lebanon Valley College and Annville are bound together by geography and history and a century and a half of habits of affection. The College derives a central measure of its identity from its presence in this small town." He added, "We occupy a significant place in the economy of the township, and we understand that our financial well-being is linked to Annville's. We cannot prosper if the township suffers; we believe the township, and indeed the entire area, would suffer grave economic distress if the College were to endure hard times."

Read President MacDonald's complete remarks at https://www.lvc.edu/president/2011opening.aspx.