As universities around the country marked National College Enrollment Deposit Day on May 1, MBU had received 400 deposits from prospective students, surpassing its 2019 deposit goal by 23 percent. This comes after seeing a 222 percent increase over the previous year’s enrollment numbers and welcoming its largest class in history in fall 2018.
“Since the beginning of our current enrollment cycle, we have tracked better than we did a year ago, which was our record-breaking year,” said Matthew Munsey, director of undergraduate admissions at MBU. “We have fine-tuned our process, and are seeing the results. We’re set to again welcome not only the largest class, but also a cohort of academically prepared students who are ready to discover MBU’s distinctive programs, the vibrancy of this beautiful campus, and their own leadership potential.”
Admissions officials have been tracking the positive numbers all spring. More students applied to MBU than ever before, visits to the Staunton campus were up, and more students deposited earlier. Additionally, MBU widened the student search, opening up new markets both in state and out of state; re‐envisioned the visit day experience; and better explained the university’s specific offerings and student‐centered mission to prospective students and their families.
MBU officials see the good news as further confirmation that a new across-the‐board collaborative strategy at MBU is working, boosting enrollment and online fundraising, and helping launch several new high-demand programs.
Centralized in what used to be the president’s executive conference room, cross-departmental collaboration formed in “central command” is used to set and execute strategy involving everyone on campus, from the president and faculty to the grounds crew and communications team, all working together to improve the student experience.
“We have changed the way we do business,” said MBU President Pamela R. Fox. “We now see MBU with fresh eyes and have found new ways to collaborate to recruit the best students, and make their experience the best it can be. With another year of record‐breaking enrollment numbers, we are now seeing that this approach is sustainable and the right way forward.”
“Since the beginning of our current enrollment cycle, we have tracked better than we did a year ago, which was our record-breaking year.”
Matthew Munsey, director of undergraduate admissions