David C. Stinebeck, Interim President

In 1994, David Breneman wrote a book entitled Liberal Arts Colleges: Thriving, Surviving, or Endangered? in which he revealed that the number of true liberal arts colleges was steadily declining. The cause, he pointed out, was the increasing frequency of students graduating from liberal arts colleges with more vocational majors: business, computer science, engineering, even education. If more than half of graduates fall into such “non-liberal arts” fields, then a college can no longer claim to be a liberal arts college. Despite the fact that business is still our largest concentration, Albright has not crossed that 50 percent line, even counting our Accelerated Degree Completion Program for adult students.

But the most interesting aspect of Breneman’s book was the revelation that there were, by his definition, only 80 liberal arts colleges left in America that are secular, while hundreds of church-related liberal arts colleges are going strong. In other words, the liberal arts college in America owes its very survival to being affiliated to some degree with a religious or religiously affiliated institution.

This does not mean, of course, that the religious denomination provides the administration or trustees of the college, or even the budget. It does mean that some connection between college and church is a part of the college’s mission. Thirty years ago, that would have meant mandatory chapel; nowadays, it is more likely to mean an emphasis on the humanities (philosophy, religious studies, literature, history, languages) that is as strong, or stronger than, the school’s emphasis on the social sciences or natural sciences.

At Albright, our United Methodist connection shows itself most clearly in a balance among all of those different areas of study; in fully staffed religion and philosophy departments; in an active chaplaincy that reports directly to the president; and in our attendance at national Methodist conferences. Because of our heritage, we foster a spiritual life that embraces all the diversity of our multi-faith community. (And we still have four chapels on campus!)

Liberal arts colleges like Albright are reminded by our church affiliations that all of us, students, faculty and staff alike, are engaged in pursuing, year in and year out, the deepest meanings in life. This pursuit is never ending, and must be continued by every new generation of students. At Albright, our evangelical and United Methodist heritage helps us do just that.

Five hundred twenty-five freshmen and 34 transfer students joined the Albright family this year, the largest incoming class in Albright’s history by a wide margin. Greg Eichhorn, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission, said the increase can be attributed to a number of things, including “a greater representation from local students, our improved selectivity and academic reputation, our scholarship opportunities and our affordability for a private school. Students want the personal attention that we offer through our small community and great faculty interaction.”

In the face of increasing enrollment, some facilities on campus were expanded during the summer. The Dining Hall increased seating capacity from 665 to 845. Walton Hall has 14 new double rooms, kitchen and restroom facilities, for a total of 28 new beds. Krause Hall has three additional double rooms for a total of six new beds. All rooms are furnished with new furniture, microfridge, cable, lighting and air conditioning.

This brings the housing capacity to 1,104 students. “We currently have 1,075 students in housing,” said Tim Narrow, interim director of housing and residential learning. Despite the large freshman class, “We didn’t have to place anyone in temporary housing,” Narrow said.