Editorial: Marian University boosts state with wise approach to growth

With the opening of its new engineering school building, Marian University is once again showing why it is often considered among the most innovative colleges in the Midwest.

Under the leadership of President Daniel Elsener over the past 20 years, the private Catholic college has more than quadrupled its enrollment, widely expanded its educational offerings and significantly boosted its fundraising.

The opening of the $45 million E.S. Witchger School of Engineering is just the latest sign that Marian is a college on the move, often expanding amid the nation’s shrinking college-age population while some other small private schools fall back or close.

Marian has even provided a boost to other small Catholic institutions in the state. After St. Joseph College in Rensselaer suspended operations in 2018, Marian worked to create a partnership that resulted in opening a two-year college in Indianapolis called Saint Joseph’s College of Marian University. By 2021, the Rensselaer campus reopened.

In 2020, Marian also formed a partnership with Ancilla College in Donaldson.

With the opening of its engineering school building, Marian has a shiny new home for the engineering program it launched last year.

It offers degrees in biomedical, chemical, civil, computer and mechanical engineering, along with engineering physics, and promises to produce the kind of highly skilled professionals that economic development officials say the state sorely needs. Elsener said the university has a graduate program in development as well, which could begin in 2024.

Elsener said the school already is 20% above its enrollment target, adding 70 students this year.

The engineering program also has some laudable diversity goals, seeking to attract a student body that closely mirrors the nation’s demographics of 13% Black, 18% Hispanic and 50% female. Currently, enrollment is about 14% Black, 12% Hispanic and 21% female.

In addition to producing engineers, Marian also has focused its attention on producing doctors and addressing the physician shortage in Indiana.

It opened the state’s second medical school and only osteopathic medical school in 2013 and has graduated more than 1,000 students, with more than 45% being placed in residencies in Indiana.

The university also has set a $500 million fundraising goal by 2030 and is already more than 60% there, capturing more than $300 million.

With all of these far-reaching accomplishments, it’s easy to see why the school ranked No. 2 on the U.S News and World Report’s list of most innovative schools among Midwestern regional universities.

Not only is Marian University wisely expanding, it is helping to meet some of the state’s greatest workforce needs. For that, we should all be grateful.•

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