Staff writer
Paige Booten of rural Goessel enrolled at Tabor College this year because she really liked the community feel of the campus when she visited prior to her making her college choice. The people she met convinced her Tabor was the place for her.
“All the people I met here were so friendly,” she said. “They made me feel like I was more than just a number. They cared about who I was as a person and wanted to help me grow.”
Booton was one of 613 students who enrolled at Tabor College’s Hillsboro campus this year. With an additional 155 students enrolled at Tabor College’s Wichita campus, the total 768 students create a historic high for the college.
“For the past five years, more and more students have sought out Tabor College, both in Hillsboro and Wichita because of the rich learning environment in a decidedly Christian atmosphere,” Tabor College President Jules Glanzer said.
Tabor College Wichita experienced a 27 percent increase from 2011 enrollment.
Wichita campus student Anna Lena Schneider of Bison said she enrolled at Tabor because of their online advanced nursing degree program.
“I live in a rural area near Hays,” Schneider said. “I work full time as a nurse and seriously checked out all my options for getting my advanced degree. Others were either way too pricey or so unorganized; I would wait for days to get an answer to my questions. Tabor has the program set up so that I didn’t have to worry about getting the right classes; they planned it all out for me. They even automatically shipped the right books I needed to my door.”
Schneider said she really appreciated the quick and personal service she got when asking questions and investigating Tabor College.
“These people are so personable,” she said. “I think it really is a reflection of their Christian background. They really do seem to care about me.”
Dorothy Deckert, director of the nursing program at Tabor’s Wichita campus said Tabor’s BSN degree program was special because classes could be set up to completed online, or tailored to meet students’ needs with only morning classes or evening classes.
“We’ve made it possible for returning adults who want to complete their degree to be able to fit it in with an already full-time job or family responsibilities,” Deckert said. “The federal government is pushing by 2020 to have all registered nurses also earn a bachelor of science in nursing degree. We are one of the few programs that offer that online.”
Glanzer said recruitment was a joint effort at the college, in which faculty, staff, student life, and facilities all played important parts.
“The enrollment management team with the leadership of Rusty Allen (vice president) has worked hard to bring this about. A record enrollment means that we have the opportunity to impact more lives that can go into the world and influence it to be more of what God intended it to be.”
On the Hillsboro campus, there are 279 students from Kansas, with 32 additional states represented. There are 17 international students from six countries. The top four states sending students to Tabor College include Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, and California.