Midway University breaks enrollment records again

Students pose for a photo provided by Midway University.

The new blacktop being laid on East Stephens Street comes at a good time for increased traffic to and from Midway University, which announced new enrollment records this week.

The university said its daytime undergraduate enrollment is 643, up from 571 last year, and so is its incoming class of 274, up from 267 last year. This marked the fourth straight year of enrollment increases since the school admitted its first male undergraduates in 2016.

Counting all undergraduate and graduate students, and dual-credit students, total enrollment is 1,702, compared to 1,668 in 2018 and 1,217 in 2017, the university said in a news release. Not including dual credit, enrollment is 1,343, up from 1,259 last year, the release said.

“Our strategic plan includes a goal of enrollment of 1,300 by fall 2019, not including dual-credit enrollment, President Dr. John P. Marsden said in the release. “I want to congratulate our enrollment leaders Rusty Kennedy and Dr. Salah Shakir, their staff, and our coaches and faculty members who worked together to help us exceed this goal.”

Marsden, president since 2013, added, “This type of rapid growth is unusual in higher education, especially at this time. There is a new excitement on campus.”

Because enrollment is still relatively small, the school is able to keep class sizes around 15 students and offer personalized education, Marsden told The Woodford Sun. "Although we are growing, our university is still able to provide what students are looking for – a small nurturing campus atmosphere, great location – rural but easy access to larger cities, career-focused degree programs, the ability to work closely with faculty and coaches, and our built-in support system from advising to financial aid counseling to tutoring to career services to help them succeed," Marsden said in the release. "In addition, we have kept our tuition at an affordable level and remain competitive.”

To accommodate growth, the university rushed to convert its most historic building, Pinkerton Hall, into a residence hall to house 58 students. It was the original building of the Kentucky Female Orphan School, founded in 1847, where the students both lived and attended classes.