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Huron University welcomes its largest-ever first-year class in its 155-year history

Jon Munn, Director, Marketing & Communications
Sep 11 2018

Over the past year, Huron University has seen an unprecedented increase in student enrolment – amidst declining enrolment in Liberal Arts universities across North America. Western’s founding university college attributes this rapid increase in admissions to Huron’s new vision of Developing Leaders with Heart. The community is achieving this mission by providing elite, yet accessible, education, while also supporting students’ character building with a focus on civic engagement. What this means is, when students graduate into Huron’s esteemed alumni network they have the knowledge, skills and conviction to address local and global challenges. Since the implementation of Huron’s new mission by the university’s President, Dr. Barry Craig, this message has resonated greatly with students around the world: Now, the university is welcoming masses of young people who are seeking an education that will prepare them for an increasingly complex world.

“Challenging students to be leaders with heart is the foundation of this success and the crux of what makes Huron such a unique institution,” President Dr. Barry Craig said.
Over the past year and a half, this message has resonated greatly with students across Canada and around the world, and we are now seeing to what calibre it has resonated.

What we know:

  • Overall percentage increase from last year (First-year enrolment): As of August 28, 2018, 461 NEW students compared to 252 in 2017 (+83 per cent)
  • Percentage breakdown of international students to domestic (first - year): NEW first-year 298 Domestic ,163 International (+65 per cent domestic, +35 per cent international)
  • First-year international increase (29 to 163) +462 per cent increase and domestic increase (223 to 298) +34 per cent increase

Further, this increase in enrolment paired to how Huron achieved this milestone also says a few things about millennials and the GenX generations:

  • The notion and narratives around Millennials and GenX’s being self-absorbed is wrong. We proved it.
  • Millennials and GenX’s are searching for a meaningful education that gives them more than just technical skills to fulfill a specific vocation
  • Huron consciously built a model of community service into its curriculums, and students are responding positively to the idea of getting involved and creating tangible change during their education
  • Students are engaging with our revolutionary message that they need to do more with their education. They don’t just want degrees: they want mentorship, experiential learning opportunities and a community that challenges them to show up and participate in meaningful discourse about how to stand up to the formidable injustices that will, directly and indirectly, affect them.

Huron University is excited this year not only marks the first class recruited on the Leadership with Heart model but also represents the beginning of a new movement in the post-secondary environment: we’re proud and energized about being at the forefront of this revolution that will help produce the next generation of Leaders with Heart.
About Huron University

For more than 150 years, Huron has challenged students to be Leaders with Heart. With a focus on providing a well-rounded Liberal Arts education, Huron strives to be the best strategically small institution in Canada. The Huron experience equips students with the tools to be agents of change who receive faculty mentorship and unparalleled research opportunities from day one.