WINONA, Minn. – Amid a struggle to reinvent itself as a career-oriented undergrad university, Saint Mary’s has lost students. The university has 848 undergrads this fall, a decrease of 13% since last fall. The loss –123 students — accelerates an enrollment decline of 59 in 2021 and also 59 in 2020. At one time the Saint Mary’s boasted 1,200 undergrads. Ben Murray, a vice president, acknowledged the decline as more than projected. Not helping, it appears, is that the university’s plan to shift from a traditional liberal arts curriculum to a focused vocational curriculum hasn’t been as widely received as hoped. Of 146 students in programs being phased out – including English, history, music and theater — 10 students left the university. Also, Murray said, 20 new students interested in the cut majors didn’t show up. In an interview with the Winona Post, Murray said: “We knew there’d be some impact from making those difficult decisions.” But this much so quickly, that was not anticipated, he said.
Turn-around ahead?
Prospects for reversing Saint Mary’s declining enrollment aren’t bright: The number of freshmen dropped from 234 last fall to 215 this fall.