Norwich University | Alumni & Family

GIVE NOW

Menu

December 2019 - Open Forum Calls
with President Schneider

Invited: Class Agents, Reunion Committees, Club Officers, Board of Fellows, NU Alumni Association Board Members, NU Parent & Family Association volunteers, Partridge Society Board members, and NUcleus participants.

Approx. 70 volunteers participated; all invited groups were represented in at least one of the calls which took place on Wednesday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 10, 2019.

President Schneider opened each call with an update from the Hill:

Bicentennial: Mission Accomplished!

  • The bicentennial homecoming drew more than 6,000 alumni, parents and friends to campus for the largest event in Norwich’s history. Every class from 1945 and up was represented in Saturday’s alumni parade. Among the highlights was the Cadet football win over Coast Guard Academy in the final seconds of the game. Videos and photos from the weekend can be found here.
  • The final bicentennial event will take place in San Francisco on Saturday, January 25. The first four—in Naples, Florida, New York City, Washington DC and Boston sold out and had wait lists. Photos from the previous Celebrate 200 galas can be viewed here. Tickets are still available for San Francisco. For reservations or to sponsor the gala, click here.
  • At the homecoming bicentennial gala we announced that the Forging the Future Campaign had reached $118 million. As of the beginning of December we are at $120 million raised to date! Contributions received by December 31 will count toward this historic campaign. Approximately 8200 have contributed so far. Some of the project goals, including scholarships and planned gifts exceeded expectations. However unrestricted giving, which funded the construction and renovation projects are still about $4 million short of goal. The Board of Trustees approved a bridge loan which will be paid back through anticipated unrestricted gifts.
  • The next campaign—under the incoming president—is likely to be focused on growing the endowment to make the cost of a Norwich education more affordable and ensure the highest quality academic programs. It is likely to be a three-year campaign with a $9 million per year goal.
  • Ideally we will grow the endowment to $800 million as it is vital to attracting and retaining the best students. The current ‘sticker price’ for Norwich is $52,000/year however the average student pays (or borrows) $24,000/year and the remainder is covered by scholarships and the endowment.


Undergraduate Enrollment update – Class of 2023

  • This fall’s freshman class has 760 total students of which 475 are rooks, 250 are residential civilians and 40 are civilian commuter students. We strive to maintain a 2 to 1 ratio of corps vs civilian students to mirror the military and the civilian contractor ratio.

  • The Class of 2023 hails from 38 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The 41 international students come from 24 countries around the world! This reflects about two-thirds of the number of international students that were accepted this year but were unable to obtain study VISAs from the US government. Many other school had the same experience this year and as a result, the number of international students studying in the US is down this year. 

  • The majority of incoming students are from New England though Florida, New York, California, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas are in our top 10 recruiting areas. Unlike New England where birth rates have dropped substantially since the 2008 recession, those areas of the nation have growing populations and many have military bases which are fruitful for our recruiting efforts. 

  • The top 4 declared majors are Criminal Justice, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Security and Information Assurance, and Nursing. 

  •  24 freshmen are in the Honors Program, and 63 are legacy students meaning they have a family member that has attended Norwich. 75 students have 3- or 4-year ROTC scholarships. 

  • One caller asked if/how Norwich recruits JROTC students. Greg Matthews responded that we have 14 Admissions counselors that visit high schools with JROTC programs regularly for college fairs and to teach a class on applying to college and financial aid. They are not allowed to recruit within the classroom but can meet students at the guidance office. Not all JROTC students want a military or Corps experience but like the structured setting Norwich offers. Students are encouraged to visit and to apply for admission and financial aid. Many attend our two Future Leadership Camps in the summer. For fall 2019, we had 392 JROTC students inquire; 283 were accepted and 65 arrived.


Undergraduate Recruitment update: significant changes on the horizon

  • The goal for next fall’s incoming class is 800 students. The admissions team is working diligently to recruit prospective students and athletic coaches are recruiting student-athletes. Campus visits and open houses throughout the fall have been well attended. We are currently 9% ahead of last year in terms of number of applicants; 14% ahead of last year in number of accepted students. 

  • The Wild West: until now there has been a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that once a student commits/deposits with a college or university, others would not try to poach them. Beginning this year, schools are able to contact students that have committed to another school and try to lure them away with increased scholarship and other perks. Norwich is enticing students to commit by offering free ipads (a $550 value) to those that deposit by Feb 15. We will then begin to engage students via the ipad so they can begin their Norwich experience prior to arriving on campus. Paul Angotti suggested local alumni contact students once they are accepted and provide support months earlier have in the past. We can typically count on a ‘summer melt’ of about 100 students…those that are accepted and deposited but do not arrive. The ability to steal students up until the start of the school year may have a significant impact our planning, staffing and overall budgeting. More to come…

  • Chet Misner ’90 asked if/how Norwich solicits homeschooled students. Greg Matthews, Vice President for Enrollment Management responded that homeschooled students do very well at Norwich. Though a relatively small number of homeschooled students apply, a very high percentage will be accepted and a higher than average percent will deposit and arrive. They perform well: 7 of the 8 students that arrived in Fall 2018 completed the semester and their average GPA was significantly higher than the average for first year students. Norwich actively recruits homeschooled students via guidance counselors, college fairs and military service nights.

  • How you can help: encourage high school students who express interest in Norwich to visit our website, talk to admissions counselors, and to apply online. Brag about your alma mater and its impact on your life experience; offer to bring them to campus.


CGCS and Norwich Pro areas of growth and opportunities

  • The College of Graduate and Continuing Studies is launching three new online Bachelor’s Completion programs in 2020:
         o Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
         o Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics
         o Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

  • Four new online Master’s degree programs will launch in September 2020 that are targeted in high growth markets such as accounting, nurse practitioner, business analytics, and information systems.

  • Norwich is increasing the number of online course options for traditional undergraduates and expanding the opportunities for ‘4+1’ degrees: a four-year Bachelor’s with one additional year to earn a Master’s.

  • How you can help: refer people you know/work with who want to complete their degree or to gain a Master’s degree to Norwich’s website.

  • Norwich Pro provides continuing professional education. This new program is in high demand with 180 customers in the first six months. New certificate programs will be coming in Military History and PMP/CAPM Exam Prep will be added in 2020. Note that between December 9-24 Norwich is offering a 50% Discount on 2020 Norwich Pro courses and certificate programs. Also note that a webinar focused on careers in the civil engineering industry and our online Master of Civil Engineering program will be held onThursday, January 9, 2020 from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. EST.
    For details visit https://pro.norwich.edu/.

  • How you can help: Industry and alumni input on which certificate programs will assist professionals advance their careers is essential to positioning programs in the marketplace and student success. We can provide programs that are custom created for your company.


Denver Campus Launch

  • The official ribbon-cutting and open house at the new Norwich University satellite campus in Denver will be on Wednesday, March 25. A pilot program has been very successful this semester with students living at the Johnson & Wales campus. Visit https://online.norwich.edu/norwich-online-denver for information all Norwich will be offering at the Denver location.

  • How you can help: Alumni can play a major role in building long term business relationships and creating revenue opportunities to serve both continuing professional education students, and the wide range of both military and civilian adult learners in Colorado.


NECHE Accreditation update

  • Norwich will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit March 15–18, 2020, by a team representing the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). For the past 18 months Norwich has been engaged in a self-study, addressing the Commission’s Standards for Accreditation. The evaluation team will gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate and recommend to the Commission a continuing status for the institution. Following a review process, the Commission itself will take the final action.

  • NECHE is one of seven regional commissions in the US and accredits approximately 220 schools in New England as well as several American-style institutions overseas. Norwich has been accredited by the Commission since 1933 and was last reviewed in 2010.

The Presidential Search

  • Four finalists visited campus in November for two-day visits with students, faculty and staff.
  • December 6: The Search Committee met to review and prepare draft report of assessment of finalists for the Board of Trustees.
  • January 6: The Search Committee Finalist Candidate Assessment Report will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for their review.
  • January 21–24: Finalists will meet with Board of Trustees in San Francisco and the trustees will select the next President of Norwich.
  • Post trustee meeting: An offer will be made to the candidate of choice and contract negotiations ensue.
  • Once the contract is signed, an announcement via press conference and press release will be made to the Norwich community and public.
  • June 1, 2020: Appointee assumes office.

    The finalists are:
    Brigadier General Cindy R. Jebb, USA
    Major General Cedric D. George, USAF (Ret.)
    COL Mark Anarumo, USAF
    Major General William E. Rapp, USA (Ret.)


Farewell Tour for President Schneider
Norwich is hosting a series of events to thank President Schneider for his 28 years of service to our university and bid him well in retirement. The dates and locations are below...more details to follow.

• Sunday, March 8            Naples, FL
• Saturday, April 4            Boston, MA
• Thursday, April 9           On campus (faculty and staff)
• Saturday, April 18          Washington, DC
• Friday, April 24             On campus (Trustees and the community)

Accolades and Honors:

Please direct questions or comments on any of these topics to Diane Scolaro, 802-485-2358.