HANNIBAL – Students who are members of Southern Baptist churches can now count on half off of tuition at Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU).
Ray Carty, vice president for enrollment management, announced the new program to the HLGU Board of Trustees at their meeting Sept. 14.
“I want to get the attention of our Southern Baptist community,” he told trustees.
Carty also wants students to commit early, so those who pay their $100 tuition and housing deposits by March 15 will get an additional $1,000 scholarship. It can be renewed each year, provided the student maintains a 2.5 GPA. It cannot be combined with any other HLGU-sponsored scholarships and is only for students living on campus. It will not affect students who may earn a larger scholarship. For a full class schedule this year, that would mean cutting tuition from $17,150 a year to $8,575, before any outside financial aid. The scholarship will go into effect for the Fall 2013 semester.
Carty said that for many students, the single, larger scholarship will replace several smaller scholarships the school already awards them, and will make planning for tuition costs and applying for financial aid easier for students, parents and HLGU.
In other actions:
Trustees heard a very positive enrollment report. Final enrollment figures were not in yet, but as of Sept. 14, HLGU had 1,145 student enrolled, with a full-time equivalent of 983. That is 5.8 percent increase over last fall’s enrollment. There are 507 students in the HLGU dorms, which is a record high.
“We are blessed and thankful,” Carty said.
The board restored a 3 percent matching contribution to employee retirement funds when the employee designates 5 percent to the fund. The school had matched 5 percent until last year, when the board halted all contributions in a cost-cutting measure.
Trustees voted unanimously to hire Bob Agee, president emeritus of Oklahoma Baptist University, as a consultant to assist with the school’s long-range, strategic planning process.