By Kelly Stenka
While colleges and universities nationwide continue to struggle with declining enrollment, Doane University is rewriting the narrative. The private, liberal arts university in Crete is reporting one of its strongest enrollment years in more than a decade, welcoming a 25 percent larger incoming class (first year, international, transfer) and seeing a 10 percent increase in graduate student enrollment this fall.
Nationally, higher education enrollment has dropped roughly 15 percent between fall 2010 and fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“Doane’s enrollment success is the result of a community effort,” said John Frost, vice president of enrollment management and marketing at Doane University. “By building strong relationships with students, families, and counselors, and by showing the enduring value of higher education, we’ve positioned Doane to grow even as others face challenges.”
University leaders say the success is the result of a whole-campus effort: expanding opportunities in athletics and the performing arts, strengthening outreach in Nebraska’s metro areas and diversifying academic programs to attract a wider student profile. Just as importantly, Doane has emphasized relationship-building—ensuring students, families and high school counselors feel supported and valued throughout the recruitment experience.
Doane is also leaning into a larger conversation about “Why College Matters,” spotlighting the life-changing impact of a
college degree through student and alumni stories.
“Across the country, higher education is at a crossroads,” said Doane University President Roger Hughes. “At Doane, students thrive because they’re part of a community that invests in the student experience. From the classroom to athletics and the arts, our faculty and staff ensure every student has the support and opportunities to succeed.”
Doane University is the oldest private liberal arts school in higher education in Nebraska. Founded in 1872 as Doane College, its original campus in Crete is home to traditional, residential undergraduates as well as Tiger Athletics, which competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, one of the premier NAIA conferences in the country. Doane is also recognized for its convenient, affordable continuing education programs, which have undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs available at additional locations in communities across Nebraska — as well as programs that are available fully online.
