Waynesburg University is once again buzzing with life as students settle into the fall semester and 2022-2023 academic year.

According to President Douglas G. Lee, greeting returning students and welcoming new ones is one of the best parts of the new semester.

“A wonderful spirit returns to campus when everyone comes back,” Lee said. “ It’s wonderful for classes to resume, much more normally than they have the past few years, and that is a wonderful blessing as well.”

The class of 2026 has officially been welcomed into the undergraduate ranks at Waynesburg University after the matriculation ceremony held on Aug. 26.

“This was a really interesting and highly qualified class coming in,” Dr. Shari Payne, vice president for enrollment, said. “The composition of the class is completely different than what we have seen in years past.”

According to Payne, the freshman class is the most ethnically diverse class in at least 10 years. Twenty-five states are represented, and students from out of state make up more than one-third of the freshman class. 

Payne also said that the percentage of male and female students is even for the first time in decades, compared to recent years when female students made up 55 to 57% of the student population.

Diversity of major is also increasing on campus, according to Payne. She said nursing students now make up 16% of undergraduate students. In previous years, that number was closer to 25%. Meanwhile, other academic departments have seen an increase in enrollment, including biology, communication, computer science and exercise science.

According to Payne, Waynesburg University’s enrollment has been impacted by national trends affecting higher education nationwide.

“Who enrolls in what program is dependent on a lot of things, not just how we recruit or what programs we have, but what’s going on nationally. There have been struggles in the healthcare field coming off the pandemic, and it’s a challenging field to be in,” she said. “We’ve also seen some challenges in the criminal justice area with the national climate and there seems to be a little shying away from law enforcement majors.”

However, Payne said both programs remain strong and expects Waynesburg to “buck that national trend.”

Another reason that Payne is excited and hopeful is the improvements and changes made over the summer. She said that esports is a notable addition to Waynesburg Athletics and campus life. Others include a new driving simulator in the criminal justice house and locker room renovations at John F. Wiley Stadium. 

There have also been changes to resident life. According to Heidi Dziak, assistant director of residence life and housing, resident assistants are now called resident mentors, as part of an effort to make them more approachable and less intimidating. 

Every year we try to take a look at things that will improve the student experience and be meaningful… we look at what we can fit within our needs, and we’ve done some pretty good things.

Dr. Shari Payne, vice president for enrollment

“Before, everyone saw their RA as scary or there to get them in trouble,” she said. “That’s not what they’re here for. They’re here to be a guide or a leader in the hall. That’s why we had a name change, so that people see them more as mentors or peer leaders rather than the big scary guys that come and bust them.”

This was also the first year that The Housing Director, an online residence life system accessible through MyConnect, was used for check-in and pairing new students as roommates. According to Dziak, this process allowed new students to search for suitable roommates by identifying similar preferences.

Overall, Payne said that the improvements are based on providing the best possible experience to students.

“I know that there are things that students desire, and the administration does hear that,” Payne said. “Every year we try to take a look at things that will improve the student experience and be meaningful and we look at what we can fit within our needs, and we’ve done some pretty good things. It’s not everything, and it’s not perfect, but we’re really hearing the students and trying to make those changes.”