Though Sweet Briar College (SBC) will not lose any class time due to its closure scare, the school's enrollment will drop from last spring to the upcoming fall semester.
According to the Associated Press, the historic all-female school announced it will enroll 300 students, a decrease of about 230 students from the spring.
But SBC is undergoing major changes, especially with its leadership. Since announcing "insurmountable" financial troubles that would cause the school to close in Aug., the former administration has stepped aside. But after a swift and successful campaign to keep the school open, the SBC Board of Directors has been working to ensure it can stay open.
"Not surprisingly, we are getting our very best students back," Phillip Stone, SBC's newly appointed president, said in a news release. "These are students that have many choices, and they are choosing to come back to Sweet Briar. The nearly 300 students who have indicated they will return give us our new starting point. We intend to move up from there.
"We expect to cooperate with Hollins in this year's Junior Year Abroad programs for the benefit of students and all involved, but we will return these programs to their home base at Sweet Briar next year and thereafter."
SBC's Board of Directors met for the third time in the last 12 days, the school noted in its release, this time by teleconference. The board decided to keep tuition for upcoming fall semester the same at $47,095.
"What we have accomplished in this first week is truly remarkable," Stone said. "The best is yet to come."
SBC's Convocation is scheduled for Aug. 26, with the first day of classes following the next day.
