That "open door" approach attracted Dan Scholfield, a freshman from Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a junior in high school, he was considering a number of schools, including Saint Anselm, Boston College, Dartmouth, and the University of New Mexico.

Scholfield visited five colleges, but Saint Anselm stood out. "I loved the fact that it’s such a small school. I knew I would get a great deal of teacher attention, as well as be involved in a community, as opposed to just being another number."

Scholfield visited Saint Anselm three times, each visit giving him and his parents the opportunity to ask questions and interact with faculty, students and administrators. "I had a great idea of what Saint Anselm would be like before I moved in," he says. 

As Griffin mentioned, knowing what to expect academically and socially leads to higher retention. It can also lead to better performance in the classroom, says Professor Paul Manuel.

Manuel, who has taught politics at Saint Anselm for 12 years and is the department chair, says admission efforts are becoming evident in his classroom. "We’ve always had good students, but my sense is that the kids we’re teaching today are more curious and more prepared," he observes. "The problems the students are selecting to write about are more interesting and precise. They’re doing better research, using more sources, and making more sophisticated arguments."

The changes in the way the admission office works reflect changes in the college as a whole, says Fr. Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., whose vision as president underscores a commitment to Catholic liberal arts education at the highest level. "We are in a period of incredible opportunity for this college, in terms of who we are and who we want to become," he says. "This has nothing to do with changing our values or our mission, but everything to do with adding depth of excellence to our academic programs, our faculty and staff and, of course, our student body."

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