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A special thanks to members of the Commencement Committee (Michele Martin, Loretta Mc Laughlin Vignier, Mary Beth Zeman, Kaitlyn Howarth, Maira Padula, Patrick Ryan, John Sullivan, Sandy Hill, George Kavak, and Claudia Tormino), under the energetic leadership of Associate Vice President for Student Development Francisco Diaz, as well as all those from across campus, including many enthusiastic volunteers, who ensured that every part of the complex operation we call Commencement ran smoothly over three graduate ceremonies (in one day!) on campus and at the Prudential Center undergraduate ceremony. I would like to especially recognize the teams in Instruction & Research Technology, Marketing and Public Relations, Office of the Registrar, Student Development including University Police, Physical Plant Operations, Office of the Provost, Institutional Advancement, the Associate Deans, and the President’s Office, who all played vital roles over many months to plan, prepare, and carry out four successful ceremonies.
I often tell people that Commencement is my favorite time of the year, even more so than my birthday. At once timeless and modern, with its blend of centuries-old rituals and brand-new graduates, it is a truly meaningful celebration for our graduates and their families, as all the smiles, cheers, hugs, and tears demonstrate. Again, thank you for celebrating them in the Pioneer way and making William Paterson proud!
One of the thousands of points of Pioneer pride was featured on New York City's WNBC-TV Channel 4, which produced a story on WP graduate Andrew Herbst, who overcame cerebral palsy to graduate with honors. The station ran a number of promos for the report with great visibility for Andrew and WP. Congratulations to Andrew, and thanks to Maria Daniels of Marketing and Public Relations for making this story happen.
Turning to enrollment, as of yesterday, we have 6,362, enrolled students, representing a 11.26% increase over last year. Main Campus enrollment is trending 7.88% ahead of last year. Undergraduate Main Campus continuing student enrollment stands at 2,584, which is 0.08% behind this time last year. Please be sure to work with continuing students to assist with registration for the fall, as well as the summer - especially for those who may be able to take advantage of summer TAG awards.
For new students, first-time full-time (FTFT) domestic student applications are up 4.99% compared to this time last year (9,045), and we are 92% of the way to the number of applications forecasted to yield the Fall class. Acceptances have increased by 4.79%. While the dashboard will show deposits up 56.32%, it is important to note that there may not be apt comparisons due to last year's delays in financial aid processing, which shifted priority deadlines. Domestic transfer and graduate applications and enrollments are also up more than 7% over last year.
International student metrics are also showing positive trends, with 2,392 international FTFT applications and an 85.96% increase in international FTFT deposits at 106. While international enrollment indicators remain strong, we remain mindful of the potential impact that visa revocations, federal staffing levels, and visa processing delays may have on our ability to convert these applicants into enrolled students for Fall 2025. Overall, new domestic student applications for Fall 2025 have increased by 5.92%, with acceptances up 4.62%. New domestic student enrollment is up 21.25%.
As for retention and persistence, FTFT retention is up 2.2%, year-over-year and tracking ahead of goal. Persistence into junior and senior years also remain up year over year. The averaged, year-over-year increase for FTFT across all years is 2.4%. Transfer student persistence is up overall, an average of 2.6% across all years. However, this includes a year-over-year drop of 3.36% for transfers who are expected to return for a third year. While this may not be significant relative to all the gains, we are still digging into the data to see how we can turn this around.
Looking back to earlier this month, on May 4, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, in partnership with Institutional Advancement, hosted The Last Mile 5K. This event directly supports a fund that bridges an affordability gap. Every year there are those students who reach their last year or last semester at William Paterson University and find that they simply can’t afford those last few courses. In 2023, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences created the Last Mile Fund to support students faced with these circumstances, who want to graduate, are close to graduation and need a little bit of financial support to make it possible. This year, there were 183 registrants, an 18.8% increase over last year, 52 of whom were alumni, a 23.8% increase over last year. Together, they raised $16,386 to help our students over that "last mile," a 31.5% increase over last year. Many thanks to Dean Wartyna Davis, Associate Dean Djanna Hill, Associate Dean Lauren Cedeno, Professor James Mills, and Director of Development Andres Cladera, as well as the many volunteers, sponsors, faculty and staff participants, and donors who made this day a success.
Have a great start to your summer!
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